After a hearing in New York City on Monday, the company that owns Vermont Yankee and its opponents were back in court on Wednesday in a continuing legal face-off over the future of the state's only nuclear plant.

A federal court judge has refused to block a state court proceeding that activists hope could force the shutdown of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

Vermont had asked Entergy Vermont Yankee to test for radioactive tritium in a former drinking water well at the plant grounds in Vernon. But Entergy said that would require drawing significant quantities of water from the well.

The Vermont Legislature wanted to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant plant in March, when its current license expires. But U.S. District Judge Garvan Murtha ruled that the Legislature does not have that authority.

Government documents show that Entergy Corp. heavily lobbied multiple federal agencies last spring as it pleaded with them unsuccessfully to join its lawsuit against the state of Vermont's efforts to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

Plant officials hope to make repairs to a failed reactor pump in the coming weeks, but industry observers say that more costly work will be postponed until the future of the plant is more certain.

Vermont Yankee disputes state test results that show radioactive tritium has been found on the banks of the Connecticut River. But some say the discovery of any tritium in the river is noteworthy. Earlier: Tritium Found In Well

A federal judge has refused to suspend Vermont's law that gives the Legislature veto power over whether Vermont Yankee can continue to operate. VPR Coverage: Vermont Yankee Earlier: NRC Recommends Safety Upgrades

In the first day of a case that could decide whether a state can deny the license extension of an operating nuclear power plant, an attorney for the Entergy Corporation said Thursday that jurisdiction should fall to federal regulators.

Vermont Law School professors Pat Parenteau and Don Kreis break down the upcoming trial initiated by Entergy to keep Vermont Yankee operating beyond March 2012, State Epidemiologist Patsy Kelso updates us on a measles alert and we head to Summer School for a lesson in playing the banjo.

A long-anticipated lawsuit announced yesterday by Entergy, which owns the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, contests the role the state says it has in determining the plant's future. VPR's John Dillon talks with VPR's Jane Lindholm about the legal issues at stake, and the practical implications for Vermont Yankee while the case works its way through court.

The House has overwhelmingly approved a bill that requires Entergy Vermont Yankee to eventually clean up the site of the Vernon reactor.

VPR's Jane Lindholm talks with reporter John Dillon about what a New York regulatory decision means for Entergy's plan to spin off the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

We discuss the ubiquity of cameras in public spaces, and the social and legal limits of being photographed in public. Also, what a New York regulatory decision means for Entergy's plan to spin off the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.