Tribes seek voice in nuclear plant cleanup, land restoration

VERNON, Vt. – Two Native American tribes want a say in the cleanup of the closed Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant and the future use of the land, which they say was the site of fishing grounds and settlements for their ancestors.

The Elnu Abenaki, based in southern Vermont, last month filed testimony with the state Public Utilities Commission.

The tribe wants qualified people to oversee all earth-disturbing activities and it wants to be involved in helping to determine how the land is restored.

Northstar Group Services, the demolition company seeking to buy and clean up the plant, has agreed to meet with the Elnu Abenaki next week. The tribe and the Missisquoi Abenaki, based in Swanton, Vermont, are taking part in the state’s review of the proposed sale.