The  Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant has cut power production by 60 percent after a leak in the pipe that provides water to the steam generator was discovered, according to the AP. The leak is dripping about 60 drops a minute and the water is mildly radioactive. On Wednesday, the Vermont Yankee (which is my favorite nuclear power plant name) had a leak in the gasket. Better clean it up, lads. The nuclear industry is promoting itself as a clean and economical and large-scale alternative to coal and natural gas. It's also not intermittent like solar or wind, and a few plants can provide large amounts of baseload power, say proponents. Applications for 34 nuclear plants are expected to be filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission between now and 2010. A few outfits are also building nuclear enrichment plants. Debates rage over whether nuclear will be economical or not. See Joe Romm's take on a new report that says new nuclear will cost 15 cents or more a kilowatt hour. But -- ugh -- safety and leaks are tougher to argue over. If the safety and maintenance record gets murky, nuclear advocates are going to have a tough time mustering support.