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.

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.

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.

Governor Peter Shumlin says he hopes the Vermont Public Service Board will take additional testimony before deciding the fate of Vermont Yankee's request to extend its operating license for another 20 years.

The head of the Entergy Corporation says the company will seek state permission to operate the Vermont Yankee plant for another 20 years. Entergy CEO Wayne Leonard says a recent ruling by a federal court means the state should issue a new permit without delay.

Governor Peter Shumlin says he's still trying to decide if the state should appeal a federal court ruling that allows the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant to keep operating.

A nuclear watchdog group is reacting to a suit by Vermont utilities over failures of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's cooling towers by saying they warned of just such problems.

Vermont's two largest electric utilities have sued Entergy-Vermont Yankee over cooling tower failures at the nuclear power plant more than four years ago. The utilities say Yankee failed to follow standard utility practice to inspect and maintain the tower.

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

Reporter Bob Kinzel talks with VPR's Jane Lindholm about Vermont Attorney General Bill Sorrell's decision not to file suit against top Entergy executives for misstatements about underground pipes.

Vermont Yankee and its staff won't face charges for misleading the state about whether underground pipes at the plant carried nuclear material. VPR Archive: Officials Study Re-locating VT Yankee Pipe

Two more groups have filed court papers seeking to intervene on behalf of Vermont in a civil suit brought by the owners of Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

The Public Service Board said "no" to a proposed spin-off of Vermont Yankee into a new company, calling the corporate restructuring financially risky.

State regulators have concluded that Vermont Yankee misled them about whether there were underground pipes carrying radioactive material at the plant. Entergy Vermont Yankee now has to cover the legal fees of environmental groups that have challenged the company's request to extend its license.

Entergy Nuclear officials say power has been reduced at Vermont Yankee while technicians try to find and repair a leak of river water into the plant's cooling system.

Legislative leaders want to know what Vermont Yankee will charge utilities for electricity before they vote on whether to extend its operating license another 20 years.

Entergy Vermont Yankee has so far declined to offer utilities a power contract for electricity sold after 2012. That's when the plant's license expires. Yankee needs approval from the Legislature to operate for another 20 years.

The fund set aside for the eventual dismantling of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is continuing to shrink.

An Entergy Nuclear official says the company has replaced several employees following two recent leaks of radioactive water at the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant.

It's not up to them, but voters around Vermont will voice their opinions come Town Meeting Day on whether Vermont Yankee nuclear plant should stay open.