Group in Vermont, Massachusetts, New York question Entergy's financial ability to run nukes

A spokeswoman for the company that owns nuclear plants in Vermont, Massachusetts and New York says it will respond to any new requirements federal regulators might seek after a complaint by anti-nuclear groups.

Entergy Corp.'s Kelle (Kelly) Barfield was reacting to petitions urging that Vermont Yankee and New York's Fitzpatrick nuclear station be ordered closed due to weak finances that the groups say are prompting shortcuts on safety.

The groups — Citizens' Awareness Network, Pilgrim Watch and Alliance for a Green Economy — are asking the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to investigate the Pilgrim plant in Plymouth, Mass., for the same reason.

Entergy Corp. announced last year it would close Vermont Yankee by the end of this year due to poor economic performance.