Richard Watts chronicles the past 10 years of Vermont Yankee in his new book, "Public Meltdown: The Story of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Plant."

Time was supposed to run out for the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant Wednesday. Opponents eagerly looked forward to the shutdown when the plant's license expired, but that didn't happen.

As of Wednesday, the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant no longer provides electricity to utilities in the state. The plant's operating license expires today but the facility is being allowed to stay online until a federal lawsuit over the authority of the Legislature has been resolved.

Wednesday marks the date that Vermont Yankee's original 40-year operating license ends. But supporters and opponents of the nuclear power plant are enmeshed in legal and regulatory proceedings about extending the license, and the plant continues to produce electricity.

A federal judge has issued another green light for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to keep operating, and the Vermont Public Service Board appears to be going along.

VPR Newscast For Friday, Mar. 16, 2012, 5:50 p.m

Governor Peter Shumlin says it's clear that the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant will be allowed to continue to operate after its license expires next week. But he's optimistic that the Vermont Public Service Board will ultimately deny the plant a 20 year extension of its operating license.

Governor Peter Shumlin discusses the future of the Waterbury office complex, his plan to build a 25-bed psychiatric hospital and to add beds at Rutland Regional Medical Center and Brattleboro Retreat.

The Vermont Yankee nuclear plant has been forced to reduce power because a key component is causing problems. And the state says Yankee technicians made a mistake and left a metal plate inside the component as they were trying to troubleshoot the issue last week.

A task force examining the economic impact of closing Vermont Yankee has released its first report. The report details potential job losses in the region, and proposes ways to preserve the economy once the plant does close.

In a report released Monday morning, a special task force calls for the creation of an economic growth and mitigation program to determine how to absorb the economic impact when Vermont Yankee closes.

Members of the Public Service Board held a hearing Friday on the scope of the state's authority over Vermont Yankee.

The legal arguments over the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant continue, with parties to file this week on how the state Public Service Board should handle its review of a new state permit for the plant.

The Vermont Public Service Board says it will set its own pace in deciding whether the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant gets a state permit to operate for another 20 years.

The company that owns the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is appealing a federal court order allowing the plant to stay open past its originally scheduled shutdown date.

The Shumlin Administration has proposed a steep increase in the fee Entergy Vermont Yankee pays to discharge heated water into the Connecticut River.

VPR's Bob Kinzel talks with reporter John Dillon about developments involving the future of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

State utility regulators have some very detailed questions for the owners of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

Attorney General Bill Sorrell says a federal court ruling in the Vermont Yankee nuclear power case could have a chilling effect on other state legislatures as they consider issues that cross over into federal regulation.

The state of Vermont has appealed the federal court ruling that rejected two state laws designed to force Vermont Yankee to close next month.

Attorney General Bill Sorrell announced Saturday that the state would appeal a federal court ruling that invalidated two state statutes related to the continued operation of the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

A group that advocates for the health of the Connecticut River says Entergy Vermont Yankee is using flawed scientific studies to justify the use of river water to cool the reactor.

Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell is asking the court for more time to respond to a motion filed by Vermont Yankee's owners over legal fees.

Attorney General Bill Sorrell is consulting with a Washington, DC law firm as he weighs whether to appeal the state's loss in the recent Vermont Yankee case.

The health department says it's found trace levels of radioactive material in fish taken from a northern lake.