Vermonters can be proud of the Green Mountain State's energy efforts. Our investments in efficiency lead the nation. We have worked collaboratively with states in our region and around the country to combat climate change. And we have among the cleanest, lowest carbon energy portfolios in the nation.

Along with our various green sources of energy, Vermont has been able to maintain competitive rates within our region to help attract employers and the good jobs they provide. Our relatively clean and affordable energy portfolio is due, in large degree, to hydroelectric power from Quebec and from the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant in Vernon.

I believe that nuclear power can be a major part of our long-term energy future. But there is no denying that the future of the Vermont Yankee plant is uncertain. The recent events in Vernon have raised many new questions that must be answered before the Legislature, the Public Service Board or Vermonters can be comfortable moving forward on whether the license should be extended beyond 2012.

Whenever the state deals with a regulated entity there must be openness, honesty and trust among Vermonters and that entity. Those are the essential elements in a regulatory process – a process that relies on professional determinations rather than political calculations to protect Vermonters. The trust between Vermont Yankee and Vermonters has clearly been broken, undermining the process by which state regulators can determine whether or not the plant should continue to operate.

To understand if that trust can be restored and to ensure that all Vermonters have the best information available on this issue, I have called for a time-out in the relicensing process. I have asked the Public Service Department to consider the many complex issues surrounding Vermont Yankee's future in light of new revelations. I have asked the Entergy management to demonstrate openness and honesty by fully cooperating with state and federal officials in the many ongoing investigations. And I have asked lawmakers to not act on their role in the relicensing process until all the facts are available and Vermonters can, once again, trust the plant's management – restoring faith in the process. Today, we are not at the point.

Further, the value of the good-paying jobs as a result of the plant's operation, the benefit that all Vermonters receive from a favorable power purchase agreement with our utilities and the environmental impact of finding new sources of base load power for Vermont all must also be considered. Only when there are answers to these complex issues can state regulators make a sound determination about the future of Vermont Yankee.

While some in the Legislature are eager to take a vote and make a statement, I do not believe that is necessary now because too many questions remain unanswered. It should be noted that the General Assembly's role is not to relicense the plant; rather its role is to authorize the Public Service Board to make of decision about whether it will extend the plant's license. Without action by the Legislature's before 2012, the plant will shutdown. If a vote is taken and the decisions is to not advance Vermont Yankee's relicensing case to the Public Service Board then, effectively, nothing has changed – the status quo remains. Because it is clear that if a vote we taken soon Vermont Yankee would not win support, holding a vote has little practical purpose.

With so many pressing fiscal and economic challenges facing Vermont, I do not think spending time on debating this vote is the best use of the limited time the Legislature has to advance the pressing interests of our state. I hope to see quick action on a jobs bill that will allocate nearly $9 million to help small businesses, workers, farmers and our entire economy during this downturn. Those funds are part of the federal stimulus bill passed by Congress just over a year ago, and we need to get that money out to communities across the state as expeditiously as possible. I would also like to see the Legislature move ahead on reforming education in Vermont to make our system more affordable and sustainable.

We all have an interest in the energy future of our state. Those who serve the public owe it to Vermonters to put politics aside when it comes to questions of such consequence. I will continue to work for an energy future in Vermont that balances affordability, our strong environmental ethic and reliability. As of today I cannot say whether or not Vermont Yankee will be part of that future, but we should certainly make sure that the ultimate decisions is made with full and complete information so we can move forward in the best interest of Vermonters.

James Douglas, Republican, has been Vermont's governor since 2002.