BURLINGTON, Vt., March 21 – The Vermont congressional delegation issued the following statement in response to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission decision to formally issue a 20-year license extension for the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant:

“It is hard to understand how the NRC could move forward with a license extension for Vermont Yankee at exactly the same time as a nuclear reactor of similar design is in partial meltdown in Japan.  We believe that Entergy should respect and abide by Vermont’s laws and the MOU signed with the state in 2002, which require approval by the Vermont Legislature, and then the Vermont Public Service Board, for the plant to continue to operate beyond 2012.”