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Steady fall in support for nuclear power among American public

A Slim Majority of Americans Say They Support Nuclear Energy Public approval has steadily dropped over the last five years, greentech media  Julia Pyper  April 10, 2015 Nuclear energy is losing popularity. A recent Gallup poll found that a slim majority of Americans — 51 percent — say they favor nuclear energy for electricity generation in the United States, while 43 percent say they oppose it. This year’s support levels are among the weakest Gallup has recorded in the last two decades. With a 46 percent approval rating, 2001 was the only year support sank lower.

Public approval of nuclear energy peaked in 2010 at 62 percent, shortly after President Barack Obama announced $8 billion in federal loan guarantees for the construction of two nuclear reactors in Georgia. The new, roughly 1,200 megawatt nuclear reactors at the Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant, are the first to be built in the U.S. in three decades.

Over the last five years, support for nuclear energy has fallen by more than 10 percentage points………

The new Gallup poll similarly found a preference for renewable energy alternatives to nuclear power. The vast majority of respondents — 79 percent — called for a greater emphasis on solar power. Wind was close behind at 70 percent.

Thirty-five percent of Americans think the U.S. should put more emphasis on nuclear power, while 33 percent favor less emphasis and 28 percent say the emphasis should remain unchanged. Only coal had less support, with 43 percent of respondents saying coal should have less emphasis as a domestic energy resource……..http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/a-slim-majority-of-americans-say-they-support-nuclear-energy

April 11, 2015 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | opposition to nuclear, USA