Grade Eleven English Language Arts 3 rd Quarter Essential Objectives Curriculum

1. Grade Eleven English Language Arts • 3rd Quarter Essential Objectives Curriculum • Research Synthesis Instructional/Formative Project “Nuclear Energy in Vermont” • Ms. Ansari, Mr. Craig, Dr. Crowley • March 2012

2. Research Organizer My claim: My Specific Text or details for evidence

3. The Question: Acknowledgement / Counterargument Your Answer (Thesis): Reason 1: Source ____ Evidence: Source ____ Evidence: Opponents Best Reason : Opponent Source ____ Evidence: Your “Judo Flip”: Reason 2: Source ____ Evidence: Source ____ Evidence:

4. Source A Terri Hallenbeck, “The Vernon Plant”,December 2009, Burlington Free Press The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon produces one-third of Vermont's electric power, employs 650 people and is owned by Entergy Corp. The plant, which opened in 1972, has permission from state and federal regulators to operate until March 2012. Entergy has applied to extend the license for 20 years and decisions are pending before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the state Public Service Board. The state Legislature must vote its approval before the board may issue a ruling. Entergy is also seeking to spin Vermont Yankee and five other nuclear power plants off into a new company, Enexus. Approval for that move is pending before the state Public Service Board and the New York Public Service Commission. On Jan. 7, Vermont Yankee officials reported elevated levels of the radioactive isotope tritium in a monitoring well on the plant grounds that have since reached 28,900 picocuries/liter. On Jan. 13, Vermont Yankee reported levels reaching 2.1 million picocuries/liter of tritium in water inside a concrete vault-like trench connected to a radioactive waste building as well as heightened levels of cobat-60 and zinc-65. Crews from Vermont Yankee and the NRC are searching for the source of the leak and the state has increased monitoring of nearby drinking water wells. Yankee officials are under investigation because in sworn testimony to the Public Service Board as well as comments made to state officials and legislators, they had said there were no underground pipes carrying radioactive material, but after the leak they revealed the plant has at least 40 such pipes, some of which may be involved in the leak. -

5. Source BKap, La Vanguardia and Mundo Deportivo, Spain, 3/21/2011

6. Source C Sean Comi, “My Turn: Keeping Vermont Yankee economically sound”, April 1, 2011, Burlington Free Press  …the decision to decommission and end VY activities by 2012 is fiscally and economically irresponsible. An extension for Vermont Yankee to operate past 2012 is imperative for the protection of Vermont's future. VY has been a source of economic stimulation in the southeastern section of the state for 38 years. The economic impact from the operation of VY in terms of employment and payroll is palpable. VY has distributed and provided low-cost electricity to the distribution businesses. VY has saved and will continue to save Vermont hundreds of millions of dollars, charging 6.1 cents kilowatt per hour. The state has a $176 million deficit, and VY provides a grand total of $100 million to the Vermont economy. Until recently, VY has enjoyed a reputation as a productive, dependable and cost effective energy distributor. Since the VY station's purchase by Entergy, the station has operated at 93 percent of its rated capacity, provided power, and fueled economic growth despite not operating at 100 percent of its rated capacity. If needed, the station could provide substantially more power to Vermonters, at times, depending on specific in-state demand, meeting close to 85 percent of Vermont's electrical requirements.-

7. Source D Oracle Think Quest The nations of the world now have more than enough nuclear bombs to kill every person on Earth. The two most powerful nations -- Russia and the United States -- have about 50,000 nuclear weapons between them. What if there were to be a nuclear war? What if terrorists got their hands on nuclear weapons? Or what if nuclear weapons were launched by accident? Nuclear explosions produce radiation. The nuclear radiation harms the cells of the body which can make people sick or even kill them. Illness can strike people years after their exposure to nuclear radiation.One possible type of reactor disaster is known as a meltdown. In such an accident, the fission reaction goes out of control, leading to a nuclear explosion and the emission of great amounts of radiation.Nuclear reactors also have waste disposal problems. Reactors produce nuclear waste products which emit dangerous radiation. Because they could kill people who touch them, they cannot be thrown away like ordinary garbage. Currently, many nuclear wastes are stored in special cooling pools at the nuclear reactors.Nuclear reactors only last for about forty to fifty years.

8. Source E Ramirez, Investors Business Daily, www.idbeditorials.com

9. Source F LOUISE ROSEINGRAVE, Irish Times, March 24, 2011 PRO-NUCLEAR lobbyists are witnessing a notable change in public attitudes to nuclear power as a viable option for Ireland’s energy supply, an audience in Cork heard last night. The change in public opinion is reflected in a worldwide renaissance in nuclear power, according to Phillip Walton, professor of applied physics at the National University of Ireland, Galway. Despite global concern about unstable nuclear reactors in Japan, Prof Walton supports nuclear power as an “incredibly safe” technology.“The Japanese situation will bring about an inquiry followed by a review of best practice whereby nuclear power plants will be made safer. Like any new technology, there are risks involved,” he said. Speaking last night at UCC on nuclear power in Ireland on behalf of pro-nuclear lobby group Better Environment with Nuclear Energy, Prof Walton said Japanese reactors, built in the 1970s, were based on 1960s technology.“Nowadays, the reactors are built to higher standards. If you look at the track record in America, which houses the highest number of nuclear plants in the world, 105, there has never been a fatality,” he said.

10. Source G K.T. Wilkinson, Blogspot Cartoon, 2007

11. Source H Former Vermont Governor Madeleine Kunin, VPR, January 24, 2012 Governor Peter Shumlin's efforts to challenge the safety of the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power plant does not mark the first time that a Vermont governor went toe to toe with the plant. Way back in 1985, when I was Governor, I learned that the plant had falsified inspection reports for years and that thousands of unchecked parts may have been installed. The plant had an unplanned shut down for eight months to replace the entire recirculation piping unit. Both plant officials and the Nuclear Regulatory commission had kept me in the dark. The state's nuclear engineer concluded that probably violations had occurred in the "storage and handling program for safety related materials." The plant issued denials. Who was right? How could I assure Vermonters that the plant was safe? That is the same question that is being asked today. Governors have the responsibility to protect the safety of their citizens. If the plant accidentally releases radiation, the Governor takes immediate action, ordering an evacuation, issuing iodine pills. But the Governor had no power to prevent an accident in the first place. My first step was to obtain an impartial evaluation of the plant. It was not so easy to get the safety question answered because "experts" were divided into two camps, either anti nuclear or pro nuclear scientists. After many insistent phone calls to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, I reached the New England regional director. We toured the plant together and as a result, he ordered a complete inspection of Vermont Yankee. He was as concerned as I was, and recommended major safety changes in the plant which were implemented. I established a new position - an on site nuclear inspector to act as liaison between the NRC and the state. I went a step further. I brought a resolution to the National Governor's Association, which stated that Governors should have more authority over the safety of their nuclear power plants…. When Chernobyl occurred in 1986, calls for a shutdown of Vermont Yankee began. The question remains: how can the public know whether a nuclear power plant is safe to operate? What was underscored in the recent Vermont court case is that safety questions are decided by the federal government. The state, can, however, make an economic argument-a more difficult task. The best solution would be for a more safety oriented Nuclear Regulatory Commission to work with Vermont and decide whether Vermont Yankee's lifespan is safe to extend. To succeed, the NRC would have to change course from being a nuclear energy salesman to being a nuclear cop.