BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Massachusetts intends to file a “friend of the court” brief supporting the state of Vermont in a federal case brought by Entergy Corp. over the state’s authority to halt continued operation of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear plant after next year.
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley filed a motion Wednesday seeking to file the brief by June 13, according to Assistant Attorney General Amie Breton. Proceedings in the case are scheduled to begin June 23.
Meanwhile, the state of Vermont has filed suit in federal court challenging the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s licensing the Vernon reactor for an additional 20 years as a violation of the federal Clean Water Act.
The Conservation Law Foundation, on behalf of the Brattleboro-based citizens’ group New England Coalition, also sued the NRC for approving a |20-year license for plant beyond 2012 without plant owner Entergy first obtaining a water quality certificate or waiver from the state.