Americans Support Policies to Expand Nuclear Energy As Part of National Energy Policy Bill
Jun 20 - PRNewswire
A majority of Americans believe nuclear energy will play an important role in meeting the country's electricity needs, and they support policies being considered as part of national energy policy legislation for building new nuclear plants, according to a nationwide survey.
Public support for nuclear energy is based on attributes that consumers
consider most important in how their electricity is produced -- clean, reliable
and affordable. Also, 66 percent of those questioned said they believe nuclear
plants are a safe source of energy.
"Planning for the future has become a basic value in considerations
about energy policy," said Ann Bisconti, president of Bisconti Research
Inc. "Nuclear energy has always been viewed as a fuel of the future, but
the perception that nuclear energy will play an important role has strengthened
in the past few years."
A record 70 percent favors the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to
produce electricity. This favorable attitude was observed among all demographic
groups, including registered voters (72 percent), self-described
environmentalists (71 percent), Democrats (66 percent), Independents (67
percent), and Republicans (82 percent).
NEI President and CEO Skip Bowman said the Senate's energy policy legislation
emphasizes fuel diversity and energy efficiency as cornerstones of sound public
policy on energy.
"The legislation will create new jobs and make America more secure and
less dependent on foreign energy," Bowman wrote in a letter to all members
of the U.S. Senate. The legislation "recognizes the important role the
existing 103 nuclear plants play in the national energy mix, while setting the
stage to permit the industry to increase the supply of safe, clean, affordable
and reliable electricity this country will need in the years to come."
The poll was conducted from May 5 through 9 by Bisconti Research, Inc. of
Washington, D.C., with NOP World. The margin of error is plus or minus three
percentage points.
The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry's policy
organization. This news release and additional information about nuclear energy
are available on NEI's Internet site at http://www.nei.org/.
(1) Telephone survey of 1,000 adults nationwide by Bisconti Research Inc/NOP
World, May 5-9, 2005, margin of error is +/- 3 percentage points.
Nuclear Energy Institute
CONTACT: Steve Kerekes of the Nuclear Energy Institute, +1-202-739-8073,or
the Media Relations staff of the Nuclear Energy Institute, during businesshours:
+1-202-739-8000, or after hours and weekends: +1-703-644-8805
Web site: http://www.nei.org/ Of the 1,000 adults surveyed by Bisconti Research Inc./NOP World(1): 1. 83 percent said nuclear energy will be "important" in meeting America's electricity needs in the years ahead. Half of those surveyed characterized it as "very important." 2. 80 percent of the respondents said the U.S. Department of Energy and electric utilities should work together to develop new state-of-the-art nuclear power plants to meet growing electricity demand. "Strong" agreement has increased by 18 percentage points over the past year, to 55 percent. 3. 64 percent support providing financial incentives for these advanced design nuclear power plants. This assistance could include provisions similar to those currently being considered by the U.S. Senate, such as loan guarantees and/or tax credits. 4. 79 percent agreed that nuclear energy's importance in meeting clean air regulations should be recognized in state and federal energy and environmental policy. Nuclear power plants generate large amounts of electricity without emitting any air pollutants or greenhouse gases, making these facilities among the most valuable resources in meeting the Clean Air Act and in emerging programs to reduce greenhouse gases.