The Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced Wednesday that two pieces of a highly radioactive fuel rod are missing from the Vermont Yankee nuclear plant. The operator of the plant, Entergy, says the public is not likely at risk but local anti-nuclear activists disagreed. The material would be fatal to anyone who came in contact with it without being properly shielded. Peter Alexander, of nuclear power watchdog group New England Coalition, said “This is a very, very serious issue and Entergy cannot be allowed to spin the report and get away with claiming that public health and safety are not at risk. At the very least their reassurances are premature.”