US Appeals Court Says VT Late with Nuke Appeal

A U.S. appeals court has rejected an argument by the state of Vermont that the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant should not have been given a new operating license because its federal water quality permit was out of date.  WAMC’s North Country Bureau Chief Pat Bradley reports…

In a ruling issued Tuesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said the state had multiple opportunities to argue the Vernon plant lacked a valid permit under the Clean Water Act during the proceedings that led up to the plant's relicensing last year.

The owners of the plant, Entergy Corp., argued in court papers that their previous water quality certificate was still in effect.

The appeals court's decision agrees with arguments by Entergy and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission that Vermont waited too long.

I’m Pat Bradley, WAMC News.

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