2-28-10

As Clock Ticks, Nuclear Plant Searches for Leak

By MATTHEW L. WALD

Published: February 26, 2010

Summary:At Vermont Yankee, a nuclear reactor on the ropes, the search for a tritium leak that may doom the plant is proceeding as quickly as possible. Finding and fixing the leak would be a first step toward rebuilding the plant’s credibility — crucial if the owner, the Louisiana-based nuclear company Entergy, is to persuade lawmakers to reverse their decision to force the plant to close when its license expires in 2012. Now, based on the tritium levels logged at various spots, a team of several dozen technicians, chemists, hydrologists and others who have been working in shifts around the clock think they may have found their target.

Response: This is scary because nuclear energy and pollution is very dangerous and could cause serious problems. They need to fix this problem quickly and make the right decision.