‘Solar Roller’ Urges Citizens
To Reject Nuclear Energy
By Sara Nelson

"Solar Roller" David Detmold rolled into Randolph Tuesday evening as part of a statewide bicycle tour to encourage Vermonters to shut down the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and transition to safer sources of energy.

The nuclear power plant, which provides a third of Vermont’s energy, is "fragile and dangerous," Detmold told a crowd of 20 who gathered at Bethany Church for the event, which was sponsored by the Randolph Area Peace Coalition.

Detmold is a founding member of the Solar Rollers, an anti-nuclear bicycling group which formed 26 years ago during the occupation of the Seabrook Nuclear Power Station in New Hampshire.

This year, the group has partnered with the Vermont Yankee Decommissioning Alliance and the Citizen’s Awareness Network to distribute flyers and alert residents to the upcoming legislative debate on extending Vermont Yankee’s operating license.

The plant’s contract expires in 2012 and in 2008 the legislature will likely begin debate on whether to renew it for 20 more years.

That gives citizens time to tell their legislators how they feel about the plant, Detmold said.

During his talk, Detmold pointed to studies published by Vermont Public Interest Research Group that indicate that within 10 years, Vermont could transition to a variety of alternative energy sources, including solar, wind, biomass, methane, and geothermal power.

"Windmills on 5% of Vermont’s ridgelines could supply 20% of the state’s energy needs," Detmold said.

Detmold, who lives in Montague, Mass., 12 miles downstream from the Vernon plant, has been joined by supporters during different legs of the trip. The cyclists began last Tuesday in Vernon and will make their way through every county in the state before ending in Montpelier on Aug. 31.

"There are so many issues that press upon us these days," Detmold said. "But on this issue, we are uniquely poised to have an impact."