Vermont Yankee official clarifies that fund to clean up site should be sufficient

An executive with the owner of the shuttered Vermont Yankee nuclear plant is seeking to clarify comments that environmentalists interpreted to mean the company might not finish the costly job of dismantling the plant and cleaning the site.

Entergy Vice President Mike Twomey said at a legislative hearing Feb. 11 that "there would probably be quite a bit of litigation" if there's not enough money to finish dismantling it within the required 60-year period.

Twomey said this week the company expects that a fund set aside for dismantling costs will have enough money many years before then.

The Vernon reactor closed in December and decommissioning it will cost more than $1 billion.

Environmentalists want assurances Entergy will pay to complete the job.