Vermont Yankee decommissioning is nearly complete

A worker cuts apart a beam during the deconstruction of the former Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vernon in October 2023. The salvaged metal from the plant, which is not radioactive, is being recycled. File photo by Glenn Russell/VTDiggerThis story by Susan Smallheer was first published in the Brattleboro Reformer on Sept. 21, 2026.VERNON — The sound of jackhammering has largely stopped. And the view of the Connecticut River is frankly astonishing: Gone is the large, five-story pal