Vermont Law School to witness Vermont Yankee trial starting September 12

Vermont Law School faculty experts will attend opening arguments at the Vermont Yankee federal trial on Monday, September 12.
They also will continue to analyze key developments in the case on the school’s Vermont Yankee lawsuit faculty commentary blog at http://vtyankeelawsuit.vermontlaw.edu/
Professors Pat Parenteau and Cheryl Hanna will attend Monday’s opening arguments in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro.
Entergy Nuclear Vermont Yankee, LLC et. al. v. Shumlin et. al. is being watched nationwide because of its potential to affect nuclear power across the United States. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has renewed Entergy’s current operating license, which expires in March 2012. But the Vermont Legislature won’t allow the state Public Service Board to issue a certificate of public good, which is required under Vermont law.
Entergy’s lawsuit challenges the constitutionality of Vermont’s law giving Vermont lawmakers veto power over the reactor’s operation, as well as the right of any state utility commission nationwide to determine whether nuclear power should be part of a mix of electricity generation produced within any state.
Vermont Law School, a private, independent institution, has the top-ranked environmental law program and one of the top-ranked clinical training programs in the nation, according to U.S.News & World Report. VLS offers a Juris Doctor curriculum that emphasizes public service, a Master of Environmental Law and Policy degree and two post-JD degrees, the Master of Laws in Environmental Law and the LLM in American Legal Studies (for foreign-trained lawyers). The school features innovative experiential programs and is home to the Environmental Law Center and the South Royalton Legal Clinic. For more information, visit www.vermontlaw.edu.