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(10/10/12 4:45pm)
Plans to export low-level waste from Vermont to Texas came to fruition in early September 2012 with the first shipment of a 90-gallon drum of low-level radioactive waste to a nuclear waste control facility in Andrews County, Texas. The shipment of waste — facilitated by the Texas-Vermont Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission that was established in 1998 — represents the most recent step taken by the state of Vermont on a difficult path to determining the future of nuclear energy generation in the state.
“The purpose of [the waste-shipping agreement] is so that we have a repository for low level waste generated in Vermont,” said Deputy Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Public Service Sarah Hofmann.
In March 2012, the operating license for the Vermont Yankee, Vermont’s only nuclear generation facility, expired. Owners of the facility appealed to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for relicensing, which was granted in March 2011.
“We have an extensive oversight process,” said Senior Public Affairs Officer at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Diane Screnci. “It’s an inspection program that we carry out at each plant in the country. Five or six thousand hours of inspections and inspection-related activities each year where we look at what they are doing.”
The facility, which has been producing nuclear energy since 1972 and is Vermont’s single largest in-state source of energy generation, is the focus of an intense statewide debate about the appropriateness of re-licensing the nuclear facility — one that is being played out in both federal and state courtrooms.
There are currently active court cases about the Vermont Yankee at both federal and municipal levels.
At the state level, the public service board is concerned with the potential for environmental degradation and other issues that may arise due to the plant’s aging infrastructure. Critics cite an incident that occurred in August 2007 in which a cooling tower at the Vermont Yankee partially collapsed and caused a 50 percent reduction in energy production while repairs were being made as a primary reason why the license ought not to be renewed.
The terminology used in the Texas Low Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Compact Commission agreement, which categorizes all of the exported fuel as “low-level,” seems to beg the question, what happens to the high-level waste?
“High level nuclear waste — which is called spent nuclear fuel — is actually [housed] in a spent fuel pool in Vermont Yankee,” said Hofmann. “There are now 13 dry casks on a pad — big concrete canisters. Some of the high level fuel is in these casks and some is in the fuel pool.”
Hofmann is quick to acknowledge the age of the facility and recognize the importance of managing the facility’s aging infrastructure. Across Vermont, critics of the plant have voiced safety concerns.
“I think Vermont Yankee should not have received a license extension from the NRC,” said Stafford Professor of Public Policy, Political Science and Environmental Studies Christopher McGrory Klyza. “The plant is beyond its planned life, has had numerous operational problems and has an untrustworthy operator.”
The federal case pits Entergy — the New Orleans-based energy company that owns the Vermont Yankee — against Governor Peter Shumlin and the state of Vermont.
“[It’s] a case about how much control the state legislature [should] have over the re-licensing,” said Hofmann.
Shumlin’s recently imposed tax increase on nuclear electricity generation has elicited a harsh response from Entergy. Entergy has filed a lawsuit against the state of Vermont in response to this tax hike, claiming that the state is in violation of the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution, in which corporations are guaranteed the same rights as people.
Entergy claims that the tax is unconstitutional because it is intended to drive the Vermont Yankee — the state’s sole nuclear energy provider and consequently the only corporation subjected to the new tax hike — out of business despite the federal ruling made by U.S. District Court Judge John Murtha in March 2012 that Vermont Yankee would be allowed to continue operating under the auspices of NRC’s re-licensing.
According to Hofmann, the case has already been decided — district-level federal judges have indicated that the Vermont legislature has overstepped its boundaries — and while the federal case is being processed, the federal court has allowed the plant to remain open. However, the Vermont Yankee is not currently producing any energy.
“Right now there is no Vermont utility taking power from Vermont Yankee under our contractual agreement,” said Hofmann. “We get none of our power from Vermont Yankee at this time.”
According to Hoffman, Vermont Yankee will not play a significant role in Vermont’s energy future.
“The way we did the comprehensive energy plan was to plan without Vermont Yankee because it was slated to shut down in 2012,” said Hofmann.
The future of nuclear energy in Vermont and across the country is uncertain. Klyza cited costs, waste storage uncertainties and health risks as the primary obstacles to the expansion of nuclear power in the US.
“I might support the development of more nuclear power if, and only if, it were part of a comprehensive plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, such as a cap and trade program,” said Klyza. “I am opposed to further expansion without such an explicit connection.”
(10/03/12 10:22pm)
On Sept. 10, the Middlebury Police opened a criminal investigation into the alleged embezzlement of $20,000 from the Marquis Theater in downtown Middlebury.
The owner of the theater has reportedly procured a signed confession from the employee who took the money, but the investigation is ongoing.
Middlebury Police Chief Tom Hanley declined to provide further details on the open investigation.
The Marquis Theater embezzlement case is the most recent incident in a slew of embezzlement cases that have plagued the state of Vermont in recent years. Within the last year, Vermont school systems, utility companies and corporations have all incurred losses due to high-profile embezzlement cases.
Incumbent Vermont state auditor Tom Salmon spearheaded efforts to shore up embezzlement legislation last year in response to the discovery of 25 unreported cases of embezzlement in public schools, and in an interview with the Campus last spring he advocated a policy of accountability on the basis of what he called “put[ting] the crook on the hook.”
The issue of embezzlement countermeasures is a critical agenda in upcoming state elections.
However, despite the efforts being made to to quell embezzlement in the state, Vermont law enforcement officials continue to receive reports of embezzlement like the one reported by the Marquis Theater.
The Marquis Theater, a small two-screen establishment with a combined seating capacity of 675 seats, is Middlebury’s only movie theater. The theater is currently open for business as usual and is expected to remain open in the immediate future despite the ongoing embezzlement investigation.
(09/26/12 9:56pm)
On Sept. 22 and Sept. 23, participants of all ages lined up in Killington, Vt. to test their mettle in the Spartan Race, one of the world’s most physically demanding adventure races.
Adventure races, or expedition races, are an increasingly popular type of race in which participants run, jump, climb and swim their way past a variety of increasingly difficult obstacles. Spartan Races are a particularly high-octane type of adventure race that challenge participants with a grueling array of physical and psychological trials. These races can range in distance from only a few miles to many dozens of miles, and some can be completed in a few short hours while others may take days. Depending on the race, contestants take the field as individuals or as members of a team. All Spartan Courses are different due to their distinct topography.
Participants at the Killington event registered for either the 13-mile “Spartan Beast,” which involved a single circuit of roughly 13 miles, or the inhuman “Spartan Ultra Beast Marathon,” the world’s first marathon-length adventure obstacle course which involved two complete circuits. The main Killington course was more than 13 miles in length and pitted participants against more than 14 obstacles, including inclined walls, mud trenches, barbed-wire crawls, cargo net climbs and numerous bodies of water.
“The hardest [obstacle] was the traverse,” said Chris Batson ’13, one 12 participants sponsored by the Middlebury Mountain Club to compete in the race. “It was a rope suspended over a really big pool of water and you have to shimmy, just using your arms and legs crossed over the rope.”
The race was designed to evoke a “Spartan” aesthetic, and a number of race officials monitored the obstacles to ensure that all participants completed the various challenges before moving on. The obstacles were designed to lend themselves to the Spartan motif, and they were largely adapted from military training techniques. Those who failed at a particular obstacle were required to complete 30 burpees, which involved quickly going from a standing position to a squatting position, a pushup position, and ultimately a jumping jack position.
“When you looked up the hill everyone was covered in mud, carrying sandbags up the hill,” said race participant Katie McFarren ’14. “It really did look a military training camp.”
The 13-mile course wound up and down the steep ski trails of Killington resort, taking racers up and down the mountain numerous times and exacting a serious physical toll on the participants.
“The biggest challenge for me — coming from Illinois where it’s flat — is that they make us go up and down the mountain four or five times,” said Max Hoffman ’14, an accomplished marathoner. “It was just vertical at points. It was harder than the marathon.”
Adding to the dizzying array of obstacles and the daunting series of steep ascents and descents, Spartan Race rules require that all participants complete the race unsupported, meaning that the racers must all provide their own sources of water and calories. Since the race takes most participants more than five hours, refueling is crucial to the successful completion of the race.
“You’re out there five hours, so you need something to keep you going,” said McFarren.
Athletes must strike a delicate balance when deciding how much food and water to bring with them; those who bring too little risk dehydration and fatigue while those who bring too much risk sluggishness and ruined provisions. The highly demanding physical obstacles also have a tendency to destroy certain types of snacks.
“I brought crackers which got pulverized when I was climbing under the barbed wire,” said McFarren. “Also, I brought fruit leather. I would recommend bringing waterproof snacks. The fruit leather was perfect.”
Despite the intensity of the racecourse, the atmosphere remained festive and the racers were all incredibly supportive of one another.
“I met a lot of cool people who were really interested in having a conversation and just chatting,” said McFarren. “It was cool because all of the strangers would help you up the walls if you needed help. It was a really friendly competition.”
Although Marc Andre Benard, the first person to finish the race, clocked in at 3:17:27, most participants took between five and eight hours to complete the race. According to Hoffman and McFarren, there were plenty of participants who were not in peak physical shape, and they seemed to enjoy the race just as much as the Olympic-caliber racers.
There were more than a thousand people in attendance, and there were plenty of sponsored tents and activities for children, including the Vermont High School Challenge and the Spartan Kids Race.
“It was a big production,” said Batson. “It was a big festival that had all of these food vendors, shoe vendors and beer companies in tents.”
Despite the many other diversions offered at the racecourse, the weekend revolved around the race. Contestants walked away with a T-shirt, varying degrees of bragging rights and sore calves, but most seemed eager to get back out as soon as their aching bodies would allow.
“Everyone that does it wants to do it again and again and again,” said McFarren. “I definitely want to do the one in the spring.”
(09/19/12 11:04pm)
Vermont is famous for the quality of its food products – Vermont cheddar cheese, Ben and Jerry's ice cream and the country's finest maple syrup are three of Vermont's edible exports for which the rest of the country is eternally grateful. While these three delicacies are fixtures in the world of American gourmet, the topography of Vermont's culinary landscape has shifted in recent years to accommodate a mountainous addition to the already broad range of Vermont food specialties: craft beer.
According to the Brewers Association, an independent organization devoted to the promotion of the craft beer industry in the United States, the total retail sales of craft beer in America exceeded $8.7 billion in 2011, which represents a $1.1 billion increase from 2010. Nowhere is the prevalence of craft breweries more apparent than in Vermont. There are currently 21 craft breweries operating in the state of Vermont, giving Vermont the distinction of having the most breweries per capita of any state in the nation.
The most recent addition to the Vermont craft brewery landscape is Drop In Brewery, a tiny independent brewery located on Route 7 in Middlebury, Vt. The brewery, a tiny operation that boasts four fermentation tanks, caters to restaurants and individuals in the greater Middlebury area. Brewmaster Steve Parkes, originally from England, and his wife Christine McKeever own and operate the brewery.
After brewing for a few years in England, Parkes decided to bring his expertise to America, opening a small brewery called the British Brewing Company in Maryland in 1988.
"That was back in the early days of craft brewing," said Parkes. "There weren't many breweries around then. We were the pioneers in Maryland at the time."
After establising the craft brewing industry in Maryland, Parkes relocated to Humboldt Brews in California. After a brewing stint in California, Parkes accepted an offer to teach brewing science at the American Brewer's Guild, and few years later, he and his wife seized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to purchase the school.
After purchasing the school, Parkes moved to Vermont with his wife to manage Otter Creek Brewing Co. The pressure of simultaneously managing a relatively large brewery like Otter Creek and operating the school began to take a toll on Parkes, however.
"The school got bigger and Otter Creek got busier and it became too much for me to do both, so I found a replacement at Otter Creek and retired from there in 2008," said Parkes. Instead of deciding to take a prestigious job with a larger brewery or establish his own craft brewery, Parkes decided to continue to run the school and to open his own small microbrewery,. From there, Drop In Brewery was born.
"For the first time in my life I [was] not working for somebody else," said Parkes. "There [wasn't] anybody to tell me "˜Steve, that's a stupid idea.' I [could] just indulge."
Today, Parkes operates the American Brewer's Guild and Drop In Brewery out of the same facility on Route 7. The facility provides an important, hands-on component to the education of his students. According to Parkes, the brewing school is sold out for the next two years.
"What was missing [from the on-line course] was the practical hands on thing, so we built the brewery and the classroom to go with it. Primarily this is the American Brewer's Guild Brewing School – Drop In Brewery is what we do with the equipment the rest of the time."
Parkes said he wants to keep the brewery small because he wants to maintain the integrity of the beers he makes at Drop In. Owning and operating his own brewery gave Parkes the opportunity to fully pursue his own interests for the first time in his lengthy career in the brewing industry.
"Brewing is a scientific discipline, but it's also a craft," said Parkes, who makes the effort to support local farmers and keep money in Vermont farming communities whenever possible. "All of my philosophies I've developed over 30 years of brewing are brought to bear on these beers. Every ingredient is chosen for a purpose. We've got German malt, American hops, Belgian yeast – a complete hybrid of a number of different brewing philosophies – all put together to build a beer from the ground up. We think people will enjoy it."
Parkes believes that the rapid growth of the craft brewing industry reflects Vermonters' rising standards for their food and beverages.
"People are starting to look now at value for [their] money," said Parkes. "People are turning away from commodity products and I think we're really riding that wave. Once you have a beer with flavor, you don't want to go back to one without."
Students and local patrons are thrilled with the addition of another local brewery.
"Vermont has a number of great breweries" said Dan Vatnick '15. "I'm really excited to see what Drop In Brewery has to offer."
"We have featured [Drop In Brewery's] "˜Heart of Lothian Scottish ale,' "˜Sunshine and Hoppiness Golden Ale' and "˜Solar Storm Belgian IPA,'" said Holmes Jacobs, owner and operator of Two Brothers Tavern in Middlebury, Vt. "They make fantastic beer. This should come as no surprise to those familiar with Vermont beer."
Parkes and the rest of the team at Drop In Brewery strive to use the finest ingredients and personally deliver their kegs in order to ensure that all of their customers are completely satisfied with their beers. He references his peer Bill Cherry, founder of the Burlington-based Switchback Brewery, when he describes the importance of personal service.
"[Bill] brewed the beer, he put it in the back of a truck and he delivered it himself. At a basic level, every account he sent it to would see the owner of the company wheeling the keg through the back door from his truck. So the busboys, the waiters, the bartenders ... all knew ... he was willing to put sweat into brewing his brand. That's authenticity. You can't fake authenticity. You're either real or you're not."
(09/18/12 1:47am)
On Aug. 6, six demonstrators were arrested in Lowell, Vt. at the site of the Kingdom Community Wind Project. These six demonstrators, members of a fifty-person protest group assembled to voice their disapproval of commercial wind-farming, bringing the total number of arrests made at this site to 15. This project, an alternative energy generation venture in the process of constructing 21 wind turbines along a three-mile section of ridgeline along Lowell Mountain, has been the site of a half dozen large protests and demonstrations in the last two years.
The Kingdom Community Wind project is not unique in Vermont; similar wind farms adorn the skylines of Sheffield, Georgia, Milton and even Middlebury. The field adjacent to the College's recycling center is home to a 10-kilowatt turbine that is a feature of the College's carbon neutrality initiative.
Opinions about the wind turbine vary on campus.
Steven Zatarain '15 feels that Middlebury's wind turbine is "a façade" that "gives tour guides something to talk about."
Director of Arts, Professor of History of Art and Architecture and Associate Curator of Ancient Art Pieter Broucke is "really in favor" of wind turbines, which he believes can flourish in Vermont's "delicate and venerable landscape."
Across the state, wind farms like the Kingdom Community Wind Project are being sharply criticized for having what opponents claim to be a disruptive impact on the landscape. The situation in Lowell has developed into a particularly contested dispute.
The saga unfolding in courtrooms and on mountaintops across Orleans County began in the spring of 2010 when Green Mountain Power, the Vermont Electric Cooperative and the Vermont Electric Power Company, Inc. submitted a proposal to build a wind farm on the Lowell Mountain Ridgeline and install 16.9 miles of transmission equipment in the towns of Lowell, Westfield and Jay. On May 31 of the following year, the Public Service Board of the state of Vermont approved "either 20 or 21 wind turbines and associated transmission and interconnection facilities ... (to) be sited along the Lowell Mountain ridgeline in Lowell, Vt."
The Public Service Board's decision ignited a contentious debate over the merits of wind energy. So far, construction has been fraught with setbacks due to the many protests that have been staged within the last year: two Sterling College students were arrested while protesting on Nov. 12, six demonstrators were arrested for trespassing on Dec. 5th, two arrests were made and state troopers were called when a group of 80 to 150 protestors blockaded Vermont Route 100 to delay the arrival of turbine components in July and six of about thirty demonstrators were arrested at a protest staged on Aug. 6. These disruptive incidents have precipitated a statewide dialogue about the benefits and drawbacks of wind energy.
Proponents of wind energy point to the dual economic and environmental value of wind farms as the primary reason why wind turbines should be installed across the state. These advocates believe that wind farms will economically benefit the state by creating jobs, tax revenue and a stable long-term source of inexpensive energy.
"It's a very good symbol of the promise of renewables," said Middlebury's Director of Environmental Studies and Professor of Economics Jonathan Isham. Isham believes that "taking advantage of new technologies and economies of scale" will enable wind energy to be a financially viable option for the state of Vermont. Isham also pointed to other examples of successful wind energy across the country as signs that wind energy can find a niche in Vermont.
"The rise of wind power in Iowa is a sign of the promise of wind," said Isham.
Green Mountain Power Corporate Spokesperson Dorothy Schnure compared the development of wind energy infrastructure to home ownership in what she called a "rent vs. own model." She said that having wind energy facilities in Vermont will provide long-term benefits despite initial financial hurdles because future contract renewals will be avoided by keeping production local.
Supporters of the wind energy movement in Vermont also think that wind farms are an appropriately "green" approach to energy creation. Advocates believe that wind energy is an environmentally responsible alternative form of energy generation that aligns with Sustainably Priced Energy Enterprise Development (SPEED), a piece of legislation passed in 2005 that requires 10 percent of Vermont's energy load to be provided by new sources of renewable energy.
According to Schnure, "the Vermont legislature has made it clear that [they] want a ... higher proportion of our energy mix to come from renewable energy sources."
The Kingdom Community Wind project emphasizes the project's "low potential for significant environmental impact" and says the completed wind farm will "reduce the need to import power and will reduce pollution in (the) wider community."
Schnure went on to say that the project represents a form of renewable energy generation that is "low cost, low carbon and very reliable."
Critics of the development of large-scale wind-energy generation systems believe that the host of deleterious effects of wind turbines with respect to aesthetics, environment, noise levels and cost efficiency make wind energy a poor choice for the state of Vermont. Environmentalists are furious that the turbines and their associated transmission and interconnection facilities destroy dozens of miles of natural landscapes without significantly reducing emissions.
Lisa Linowes, exectuve director of Vermont's Industrial Wind Action (IWA) group, says that the label "renewable" often encourages members of the public to accept an environmentally degrading source of energy that is "extraordinarily expensive relative to other forms of generation."
"How could anyone find a problem with wind energy?" asked Linowes. "Out of the gate a lot of people just accept that renewables are wonderful [even though] there is no way in Vermont or in New England that wind energy [could] pay ... for itself."
Citizens living in Lowell, Westfield, Jay and neighboring towns decry the turbines for their obtrusive presence, and, as the multitude of arrests suggest, they are not afraid to stand up for their opinions. Linowe believes this is evidence that the anti-wind protestors will not rest until their voices are heard.
"It's a big step for a doctor in an emergency room, [...] one of the people that got arrested – to stand up and to be so outraged about the Lowell mountain projects that he stands up and he would allow himself to get arrested," said Linowes. "People don't do that."
The issue remains divisive, however, and protests continue. Although opponents continue to clamor for an end to the construction of Kingdom Community Wind, Schnure insists that the 21 turbines will soon be powering 24,000 Vermont homes. According to recent estimates, the Kingdom Community Wind project will be completed by December. While construction crews race to erect the final few turbines on the ridge of Lowell Mountain, environmentalists, economists and engineers across the state of Vermont are sure to be investigating other alternative energy sources.
"In the end, Vermont should aspire to have a portfolio of renewables, including wind and solar," said Isham. Vermonters seem to agree that investment in multiple renewable energy sources is positive, and the wind energy debate seems to be a catalyst for discussion of these new sources of renewable energy.
"Wind can be effective," agreed Visiting Lecturer in Architecture Andrea Kerz-Murray, the lead faculty advisor for the Middlebury Solar Decathlon Team, "but [it] is not enough on its own [...] The most effective approach to clean energy in a place like Vermont has to be a varied one."
"Just like investments, you don't want to put all your money in one stock. It's the same with energy," said Schnure. "There is a lot of value in having a diverse mix."
The increased interest in the environmental and economic landscape of tomorrow that has resulted from the wind energy debate will benefit all residents of Vermont.
"The high profile debate and the actions that have been taken will drive people to look deeper, to peel away some of the layers to that onion," said Linowes.
With both corporate entities like Green Mountain Power and advocacy groups like the IWA both striving to develop a varied energy portfolio for the state, the future of sustainable energy in Vermont remains bright.