Entergy, ETR, has been trying to complete a stock spinoff to separate its nuclear power plants for some time.   This may be a terrific deal for Entergy and maybe even a good one for the owners of the new entity to be called Enexus, but states in which those power plants are situated apparently aren’t so sure.

Rightly or wrongly, citizens seem to be saying that they “smell a rat”.  Perhaps they figure that when it’s time to shut down and clean up these plants Entergy wants to be sure that their deep corporate pockets are not available to the states in question if the Enexus doesn’t have enough money to do the job.  And if that happens, guess who will foot the bills.

In a recent Vermont Senate vote reported in the Rutland Herald, the relicensing of the Vermont Yankee plant in 2012 was blocked.

Which leads to a question that comes up every now and then.  Do you invest in a company because it is watching out for its own interests very well if you would feel that their actions were irresponsible if you lived next door to their operations?  I’ve never completely figured that one out for myself,  but I do try to remember that my purpose in investing is to make money.

Tags: Enexus, Entergy, ETR, nuclear power, Vermont Yankee