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Vermont’s energy supply is dominated by dirty, dangerous and expensive sources. More than half of Vermont’s electricity is generated by nuclear power or fossil fuel plants. These sources pollute our air, poison our water and threaten our state with nuclear disaster. Consider the following:
Dirty
Vermont Yankee has produced over 1 million pounds of radioactive waste since it opened. Power plant emissions of mercury have triggered fishing advisories for all of Vermont’s rivers and streams warning women and children about the hazards of mercury-contaminated fish. Power plants are a leading source of global warming pollution in New England.
Dangerous
A serious accident at Vermont Yankee could render the Green Mountains uninhabitable. Our addiction to oil has led the US into armed conflicts around the world. In 2005 more than 6,000 people died in coal mine accidents worldwide.
Expensive
Vermont exports over 1 billion dollars every year to buy energy. Utility companies are already requesting double digit rate increases due to the rising cost of fossil fuels. Natural gas and oil prices have roughly tripled since 2002.
A Dangerous Alternative
 Vermont Yankee nuclear power station is one of the oldest nuclear plants in the country. Similar reactors have already been closed down due to safety concerns, and Vermont Yankee was designed to be shut down in 2012.
In the last two years alone, the plant has experienced: misplaced fuel rods, a transformer fire, higher-than legal radiation levels at its fence line, cracks in critical equipment, higher than legal water discharge temperatures, and potentially dangerous vibrations in steam lines.
 Clean, Safe and Affordable
Imagine a Vermont that relies on safe, clean, affordable sources for all its energy needs:
Wind farms dot a handful of ridgelines supplying power for working family farms. Those farms and sustainable forestry supply fuel for biomass energy that powers homes and businesses that use energy wisely and without waste. We can build that energy future in Vermont, but to do it our leaders must focus on priorities:
Clean
Experts believe that wind farms could supply up to 30% of our power needs while generating no waste or air pollution. Combined with other renewable energy sources such as biomass, solar and hydro-electric power, we can meet the majority of Vermont’s energy needs without threatening public health or the environment.
Safe
Expand Vermont’s tradition of a working landscape to include our energy sector by encouraging installation of wind turbines, solar panels, and other on-site generation. These sources will help stabilize our electric grid against blackouts and decrease power lost through transmission.
Affordable
The cheapest watt of electricity is the one we don’t buy. So we need to eliminate energy waste by increasing our investment in Efficiency Vermont and setting common-sense efficiency standards for buildings and appliances.
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We can have a clean, safe and affordable energy
supply. But we need our leaders to act now in
order protect Vermont’s environment and consumers.
VPIRG is asking all candidates for US Senate, US congress, Governor, Lt. Governor and the state Legislature to sign a clean energy pledge to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, invest in the efficiency of our homes and businesses and build a clean energy economy by developing local renewable sources of power. 