NEI Nuclear Notes

Ann Bisconti The following is a guest post by Ann S. Bisconti, PhD, President, Bisconti Research, Inc. After a decade of public opinion surveys that consistently find broad and deep support for nuclear energy among nuclear power plant neighbors, is it time to re-think NIMBY ? The conventional wisdom goes that “not-in-my-backyard,” is a barrier to nuclear energy. That may be true in some locations, but it is absolutely clear that a NIMBY attitude toward nuclear energy does not apply to most people who live close to America’s nuclear power plants. Six biennial surveys of U.S. nuclear power plant neighbors that we have conducted for the Nuclear Energy Institute since 2005 confirm that residents close to the facilities are far more favorable to nuclear energy than the general public, and they are very supportive of the local plant. The latest nuclear power plant neighbor survey , just released, was conducted May 26 through June 13. A random sample of 1,080 respondents was d...

In Kansas, local regulators have rejected approval of air permits for a new coal-fired power plant arguing that greenhouse gases threatens public health and the environment. Meanwhile, on Cape Cod, a local commission rejected an application that would have allowed the Cape Wind Project to bury cables in order to connect the 420 MWe wind farm to New England's power grid. Interesting, isn't it?