BRATTLEBORO — The Nuclear Regulatory Commission defended its assessment of the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant Wednesday.

“Vermont Yankee is doing well,” said William Dean, NRC Region One administrator, in light of the particular pressures facing the plant over its future.

The assessment comes after an Associated Press series this week that was sharply critical of the NRC’s oversight of the nuclear industry, saying the federal regulator has a pattern of softening regulations to accommodate the industry and loosening safety concerns.

And it also comes a day after the U.S. General Accounting Office issued a report that looked at Vermont Yankee and two other nuclear plants and concluded the NRC was doing a poor job of oversight of underground piping systems, and more work was needed to avoid future radioactive leaks, such as the ones that have plagued Vermont Yankee for the past two years.

The NRC, for the time period that included the radioactive leaks of 2010, has given Entergy Nuclear a “green” rating, which is its highest rating, while at the same time saying that more oversight of Vermont Yankee’s groundwater protection plan was warranted.

In a press conference Wednesday afternoon before the public meeting, Dean said the Associated Press report was “denigrating” and “unfounded.”

“I take exception to the AP’s characterization of the NRC as a toothless regulator,” Dean said.

Dean, who took over the job of Region One administrator last fall, said the NRC had a “good track record” of handling problems, although he said the agency was often in the position of reacting to problems.

The past, present and future of Vermont Yankee is at center stage this week with the NRC evaluation of the plant’s past performance, and a two-day hearing in U.S. District Court in Brattleboro starting today.

Raymond Shadis, a longtime antinuclear activist with the New England Coalition, made an unusual appeal to fellow activists this week, calling for civility at Wednesday’s NRC hearing.

Shadis said the NRC was leery of the Vermont meeting, especially after a hostile and confrontational meeting in New York state concerning the Indian Point nuclear plant, which is also owned by Entergy Nuclear.

“After recent meetings where manure was thrown, epithets hurled and other equally as intimidating personal atacks on character, NRC may in the future back away from the public interaction sessions and do something else that is more controlled for the annual assessment meeting,” Shadis wrote in an op-ed piece for Vermont media.

He said he had been told that many younger NRC staff “are concerned for their physical safety” in light of the shooting of Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in January.

“There is a line that seems to be getting crossed with greater and greater frequency when the public meeting goes from an honest information exchange into theater,” Shadis said.

One antinuclear group, the Safe and Green Campaign, is planning two peaceful demonstrations outside the Brattleboro federal building today and Friday morning, from 7:30 to 9 a.m., when the court hearings start.

susan.smallheer @rutlandherald.com