MONTPELIER, Vt. -
Every day, Vermont Yankee dumps a high volume of hot water into the Connecticut River.
"I believe the plant has a discharge of 547 million gallons a day," said Justin Johnson, the deputy commissioner of the Vt. Department of Environmental Conservation.
The Vernon nuclear power plant shells out $105,000 in state fees for the right to rid itself of thermal water discharge. The state is considering requiring them to pay more.
"Entergy would pay on a per gallon basis the same as everyone else in the state pays," Johnson said.
Yankee is the only Vermont company paying $105,000 in fees-- that's because they've exceeded the state's maximum discharge capacity. The fee bill suggests Yankee pay per gallon, which translates into more than $500,000 in fees.
"A lot of what's going on now is if you can't defeat Yankee in the courts, make them suffer financially and maybe they'll go away," said Rep. Mike Hebert, R-Vernon.
Hebert says this is the state's way of trying to shut down Vermont Yankee after a federal judge sided with the power plant in court saying the state doesn't have the right to close the plant.
"I think it is politics. It's been politics for a long time, the governor isn't happy with Yankee," Hebert said.
Reporter Susie Steimle: Is this in any way the state's attempt to shut down Vermont Yankee?
Rep. Tony Klein/D-East Montpelier: No.
Klein proposed the state do one better; tax the power plant to make up for revenue lost by canceling the power plant's contract with the state.
"As long as the facility keeps operating, whether I like it or not, we need to replace revenues lost because agreements have run out," Klein said.
The fees would help the Agency of Natural Resources depleted federal funding and help pay for the state's study of the environmental impacts warm water has had on the river. But Greshin says that's not the purpose of fees. He says fee increases are meant to pay for a state service, not offset a loss in revenue.
"I would be hard pressed to believe it would cost the state over half a million dollars to provide input in regulation of thermal discharge for Vermont Yankee," Greshin said.
While the fee money would go to study the environmental impacts the water has had on the river, ANR officials say they've monitored thermal discharges very closely and that it's remained within state permitting regulations the entire time the plant has been open.
