SMARTER STRATEGIES

Green, Non-Nuclear Energy Favored in U.S.

R. Colin Johnson | Date: 03-25-11 | Comments

Before Japan�s tsunami hit Fukushima Dai-ichi, nuclear energy was being billed as a "green" alternative because of its small footprint and zero emissions, but U.S. taxpayers are turning against nuclear in favor of wind and solar power.

The nuclear fires, partial meltdown and widespread fallout from the tsunami-swamped Fukushima Dai-ichi Power Plant in Japan is changing U.S. popular opinion in favor of wind and solar as viable alternatives to nuclear power, according to the latest survey.

Gallup's last poll back in 2010 showed 62 percent of U.S. adults supported nuclear power, but that was before the recent nuclear troubles in Japan. A more recent study performed by ORC International for the Civil Society Institute showed a 25 percent drop to 46 percent who "support more nuclear power reactors in the United States."

"Americans would like to see the brakes applied to more nuclear power," said Graham Hueber, senior researcher at ORC International. "There is majority support across the board on every question for moving away from greater reliance on this power source."

The poll queried 814 adults (404 men and 410 women) all 18 years or older on March 15-16. Representation of the total population of the United States was ensured by weighing age, sex, geographic region, race and education to ensure reliable extrapolation. Nearly 25 percent of those polled said they lived within 50 mile of a nuclear reactor and more than half of those claimed not to know what to do in the event of a nuclear emergency. A total of 92 percent said they were "following news about the nuclear reactor crisis and related disaster in Japan," and only 14 percent said their views had not been changed by the Fukushima Dai-ichi.

The transition scenario proposed by the Civil Society Institute would have both coal and nuclear energy phased out in favor of wind, solar, geothermal and other renewable energy sources.

More than 58 percent were "less supportive of expanding nuclear power in the United States than they were a month ago" and 52 percent said they would support a "moratorium on new nuclear reactor construction in the United States," if renewable technologies such as wind and solar could pick up the slack. A total of 73 percent said they did not "think taxpayers should take on the risk for the construction of new nuclear power reactors in the United States through billions of dollars in new federal loan guarantees." And 74 percent favored shifting federal loan-guarantee support to wind and solar power.

Almost three out of four thought that nuclear reactor owners should be "liable for all damages resulting from a nuclear meltdown or other accident" in contrast to the 1957 law indemnifying nuclear power companies from most disaster clean-up costs.

A total of 76 percent said they were "more supportive" and 46 percent were "much more supportive" of switching from nuclear to wind, solar and other renewable energy sources than they were a month ago.