The Vermont Senate delivered a blow to the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant Wednesday with a resounding vote against allowing the state Public Service Board to consider granting the plant another 20 years of life after 2012.

The 26-4 vote illustrated a remarkable turnaround in the Vernon plant’s fortunes in the past few years, as several senators who called themselves one-time supporters joined in voting against it.

For the Vermont Building Trades, the effort to win a 20-year renewal of Vermont Yankee's operating license is far from over. Hundreds of union craftspeople perform maintenance work at the facility, and they remain determined to prove their case to the legislature, state officials and the Vermont public. For them, the plant is a vital, safe and reliable source of clean power for Vermont and the rest of New England, and they intend to continue communicating to the public the substantial economic and environmental benefits of keeping the plant operating beyond 2012.

In the interim, Vermont’s Building Trades Unions will remain focused on resolving the tritium issue, on operating the plant safely, reliably and securely, and on winning back the confidence and trust of the citizens of Vermont.