Les cachettes d'une centrale nucléaire

L'extension du permis de continuer de faire de l'électricité à la centrale nucléaire de Vermont Yankee à Vernon, sur les bords de la rivière Connecticut est mise de plus en plus en doute. Après 40 ans, la compagnie d'énergie Entergy veut rafistoler la centrale au lieu de la fermer, clamant que des changements pourraient prolonger la vie utile de la centrale de 20 ans. Mais il s'avère que les autorités de la centrale ont fourni de faux renseignements, ou ont oublié de dévoiler certains faits, sous serment, à plusieurs remprises. De plus, des puits de vérification laissent voir que les concentrations de fuites de tritium continuent d'augmenter, bien qu'on nous assure qu'on en a pas trouvé dans la rivière Connecticut. De toute façon, quand il s'agit de nucléaire, c'est pas une bonne idée de faire des cachettes si on veut avoir la population de son bord!

Et difficile de ne pas faire de parallèle avec la réfection de Gentilly 2, près de Bécancour, sur le bord du fleuve Saint-Laurent: http://lejournaldequebec.canoe.ca/actualites/quebec/archives/2009/12/20091212-230929.html

Pour l'entrevue spéciale avec Julie Lemieux, auteure du livre "Avez-vous peur du Nucléaire? Vous devriez peut-être…", cliquez sur ce lien: http://www.choq.fm/lautremonde.html

Pour un résumé de son livre, ici: http://www.multim.com/titre/?ID=294

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"Storm of criticism hits Entergy over Vt. Yankee

MONTPELIER – The relicensing of Vermont Yankee appeared in doubt Friday as lawmakers and members of the Douglas administration expressed outrage that officials from the nuclear power plant may have misled regulators. Meanwhile, the nuclear power plant in southern Vermont indicated Friday that the level of radioactive tritium found in a monitoring well at Vermont Yankee is rising, and is now just below reportable drinking water standards. House Speaker Shap Smith, D-Morristown, told reporters at the Statehouse Friday that this week's revelation that the facility does indeed have underground pipes containing radioactive tritium – a fact Yankee officials earlier denied – "threatens the level of trust that Vermonters have in Entergy to provide accurate information about anything." "The representations made by Entergy were clearly wrong," Smith said. "They told us that there was no radioactive material flowing through those pipes … that was untrue." (...)

The level of tritium in the well has steadily risen since mid-November, when a test first showed the radioactive fluid. The November level was 700 parts per liter, and then jumped to 17,000 and 14,500 parts per liter in two tests last week. Williams stressed that the water in the monitoring well was not drinking water, and he said Entergy has continued to test the Connecticut River, but no tritium was detected in the river. The source of the tritium remains a mystery, and the company said it would drill seven new monitoring wells at different locations at the Vernon reactor in an attempt to locate the source of the radioactive leak. (...)

"Either the company has lied under oath or they have no idea what is going on in their plant," said Bob Stannard, a lobbyist for the anti-nuclear group Citizens Action Network. "Neither of those options are comfortable for Vermonters."(...)"

Excerpts of article written by Daniel Barlow published in timesargus.com here: http://www.timesargus.com/article/20100116/NEWS01/1160356/1002/NEWS01