Vermont Law School professor: Appeal Vermont Yankee ruling

Attorney General William Sorrell isn’t saying whether he’ll appeal a federal judge’s decision rejecting the state’s bid to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant, but three Vermont Law School professors are predicting he will, and one of them says it’s imperative.

Professors Donald Kreis and Cheryl Hanna said they expect Sorrell’s office will appeal the decision from Judge J. Garvan Murtha by the Feb. 21 deadline. Sorrell last week said his office had hired a Washington law firm to help decide whether to do so and then to advise about the case if the appeal goes ahead.

Patrick Parenteau, another professor at the law school, said the state must appeal, now that Entergy has demanded it pay $4.62 million in legal costs in the case to date.