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That explanation leaves out a lot of relevant information, such as the radioactive material was tritium (heavy hydrogen) which is a material used in things such as wrist watches and gun sights. The leak from steam pipes was repaired a month after discovering the problem, and no water sources that humans interact with were contaminated.
The 2 major factors for decommissioning the plant were:
1. Abundant natural gas undercutting the price of nuclear power
2. Anti-nuclear lobbying from anti-environmentalists
Age had little to do with it. The facility was already built, so there were no ongoing construction costs to contend with. Nuclear plants can conceivably operate for 100 years.
65% of the decommissioning costs are "costs associated with terminating the NRC operating license ($817 million)", whatever that means.
Finally, Vermont is still using nuclear power, only buying it from New Hampshire.
Vermont is the 8th most expensive state for electricity.
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