(That's actually the steel mills and chemical plants in Nizhniy Tagil, Russia, but you get the idea.)
Posted on 08/20/2007 6:31:06 AM PDT by kidd
Eighty-two percent of Americans living in close proximity to nuclear power plants favor nuclear energy, and 71 percent are willing to see a new reactor built near them, according to a new public opinion survey of more than 1,100 adults across the United States.
Only residents within 10 miles of an operating nuclear power plant—electric company employees excluded—were questioned. The survey also found that 86 percent give the nearest nuclear power plant a “high” safety rating and that 87 percent are confident that the company operating the power plant can do so safely.
The telephone survey of 1,152 randomly selected plant neighbors—adults within 10 miles of each of the nation’s 64 nuclear power plant sites—was conducted in July and August by Bisconti Research Inc. with Quest Global Research Group. NEI commissioned the survey, with a margin of error of plus or minus three percentage points.
The survey marked the second time that nuclear power plant neighbors have been surveyed nationally for their attitudes about nuclear energy. The first was in August 2005.
“This survey and the one in 2005 show that, in general, NIMBY [not in my back yard] does not apply at existing plant sites because close neighbors have a positive view of nuclear energy, are familiar with the plant, and believe that the plant benefits the community,” said Ann Bisconti, Bisconti Research president. Seventy-one percent of residents near nuclear plants said it would be acceptable to add a new reactor at the site of the nearest nuclear power plant, if a new power plant were needed to supply electricity. Twenty-six percent of respondents said it would not be acceptable, and 3 percent said they don’t know. “These numbers are averages across the plant sites, so they are higher near some plants and lower near others,” Bisconti said.
Favorability was even higher among neighbors in communities where steps are under way to build new reactors. Seventy-seven percent of respondents in these areas would find a new reactor at the nearest site acceptable, with 20 percent saying it would not be acceptable and 2 percent saying they don’t know.
“It’s obvious that people living near nuclear plants have a high degree of familiarity and comfort with nuclear energy and would welcome the economic and environmental benefits of new nuclear plants,” said Scott Peterson, NEI vice president for communications. “The poll’s results show that support for new nuclear plants is strong among those residents who already live near nuclear plants. This bodes well for the prospect of new-plant construction, particularly for those companies considering adding new reactors at existing nuclear plant sites.”
By a margin of 82 percent to 16 percent, plant neighbors said they favor the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity in the United States. And by a margin of 86 percent to 11 percent, they said they have a favorable impression of the nearby nuclear power plant and the way it has operated recently. Seventy-three percent said they believe that the majority of people in their community have a favorable impression of their local nuclear power plant.
When asked about the company that operates the nearest nuclear power plant, 77 percent agreed that “this company is involved in the community,” and 81 percent agreed that “this company is doing a good job of protecting the environment.” Seventy-nine percent of plant neighbors said they are “very well informed” or “somewhat well informed” about the nearest nuclear power plant. Seventy-seven percent have lived in the area for more than 10 years.
The results of the survey will be posted in the “News Room” section of NEI’s Web site at www.nei.org.
Anyway...so much for the NIMBY argument.
Americans want nuclear power.
Hey,if I could get cheaper electricity they can build one in my backyard and anchor it to the side of my house !!!
Hey, you wouldn’t NEED electricity then — you could read by your own light!
My company is increasing it’s nuclear service staff over 1500% (yes that fifteen hundred)this year. We are expecting a serious resurgence in the near future. I started my career in nuclear, and I’m itching to get back into it. I’ve already interviewed with the group vice president twice.
Love your tag line!
Ha,ha,cheaper still !!!
(That's actually the steel mills and chemical plants in Nizhniy Tagil, Russia, but you get the idea.)
Who do you work for? (Circlebarw ranch for me)
I like your name. I’m a big Laumer fan!
Are you back at the Energy Center?
No, I work out of an office in Illinois. Most of the people I work with are at the EC though.
When I was a child, a nuclear power plant was built in the next county.
My parents still live in the area, and my sister and BIL are even closer to the plant.
In the 30-plus years since, I can’t recall that one negative thing has ever happened at the plant or because of it. I’d have no problems with having a plant built near me. If anything, I would expect that safety would be even better now than it was then.
I will repeat myself....
We should be building 200 to 300 Nuclear plants in this country. With the amount of coast line and rivers, there is no reason not to build them.
The can be build in land and the cooling water pumped from the oceans to the plant, cooled in towers and then cooled even more by being pumped back through under ground pipes/tunnels.
The NIMBY has been superseded by the BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything!)
I would really like to see what the results were for those polled here in Harrisburg. Even all these years later, folks do not forget about 3-Mile Island. Of course the Lame Stream Media doesn’t help, rehashing it every year!
I’d heard that... is W competing for talent, or trying to get them on the cheap?
in actual fact, no one was hurt at 3 mile island. The amount of radiation released was less than 3 chest x-rays. The containment building did what it was suppose to do. No Commercial Power Plant has ever had a significant leak of radiation to the open environment. I do not count govt run reactors. The problem is they do not have containment structures. This is what happen at Chernobyl. “Trust us Comrade, we don’t need containment”
W is building its new plants division from roughly 1/3 new grads, 1/3 established external talent and 1/3 internal talent.
The 1/3 internal talent will have to be replaced by new grads and established external talent.
There’s a nice bonus for each new hire that I recommend. Freepmail me if interested.
“Anyway...so much for the NIMBY argument.
Americans want nuclear power.”
Nuclear power’s danger to our nation, is but a fraction of the danger of our dependence on foreign oil.
The only way to increase your staff by 1500% is by buying another firm with 150 times more employees.
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