Ruling on Vermont Yankee appeal postponed

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has postponed indefinitely a ruling on an appeal filed by a group opposed to the relicensing of Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant.

The New England Coalition on Nuclear Pollution had asked the NRC to review a decision by the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board in July. It approved testing methods plant owner Entergy Nuclear Operations uses to analyze metal fatigue in components and piping in the Vernon plant.

The coalition said the atomic board's panel of judges "was demonstrably not competent to weigh the scientific and technical issues raised in NEC's contentions."

Entergy has applied to the NRC to extend the plant's operating license for another 20 years, from 2012 to 2032.

Note: News from this report was reported by the Brattleboro Reformer.