NRC Says No Need for Increased Vermont Yankee Inspections

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made it official: It sees no need for stepped-up inspections at the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant.

That word comes in a letter from William Dean, Northeast regional administrator for the NRC, to Vermont Public Service Commissioner Elizabeth Miller.

Miller has written to the NRC twice this year to raise concerns about what she has termed human performance problems at the plant.

An NRC spokesman said last month that none of the recent problems at the plant had been rated as serious by the federal agency, and expressed doubt that the agency would subject the plant to additional scrutiny.

Dean met with Miller on Aug. 28 and now has followed up with a letter saying Vermont Yankee's performance does not warrant additional NRC oversight.

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