Technical hearings begin on Vt. Yankee permit

BARRE, Vt. (AP) -- Lawyers for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant's owner are trying to draw tight boundaries around the issues a state panel can consider as it weighs whether to grant the plant a new state permit.

At a Public Service Board hearing on Monday, Entergy Corp. lawyers argued that the board should not consider the plant's impact on tourism, because any impact there might be tied to perceptions about nuclear safety — and federal law makes that solely the jurisdiction of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The board is trying to decide whether to give Vermont Yankee the state certificate of public god it needs to go with the federal license it got nearly two years ago.

Entergy lawyers also wanted to bar arguments about the plant's impact on renewable energy.