By Chris Graff.
Half of Vermonters want to see the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant shut down in two years, according to a poll released today. Only 27 percent support the continued operation of the Vernon reactor while 24 percent say they are not sure. (SEE POLL RESULTS BELOW).
The poll also found that 66 percent of those surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for electricity if Vermont Yankee is shut down.
The survey of 400 Vermonters was conducted over the past weekend for a trio of news organizations, Vermont Business Magazine, WCAX-TV and WDEV Radio Vermont.
The results are in line with a similar poll two years ago when 29 percent supported relicensing of Vermont Yankee and 52 percent were opposed.
Considering the damaging events of the past month it s surprising the numbers are unchanged from two years ago.
Plant officials reported last month that groundwater wells at Vermont Yankee were contaminated with tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen, and that leaks in underground pipes appeared to be responsible.
Last year, however, plant officials had testified there were no such pipes at the plant.
That double whammy the fear over leaking radioactive water and the concern that plant executives cannot be trusted to be truthful has even prompted some past advocates of the nuclear facility to reconsider their position.
Vermont Yankee s image has been hurting since the collapse of a cooling tower in 2007 and the release of a photo showing a gaping hole in the large cooling tower structure.
Vermont Yankee s public image today is probably at its lowest point in the 37 years since the plant began operation.
The poll comes one week before the state Senate is scheduled to vote on whether to endorse the relicensing of Vermont Yankee, whose license expires in two years.
In the new poll, 53 percent said they do not believe nuclear power should be a part of Vermont s energy future, while 29 percent said it should and 18 percent said they were unsure.
In other findings, 63 percent opposed closing Vermont Yankee and building a new nuclear power plant.
Vermont Yankee now provides roughly a third of the state s overall electrical needs.
Chris Graff is a columnist for Vermont Business Magazine, and a former Vermont bureau chief for the Associated Press.
THE POLL
This survey was conducted by Research 2000 of Rockville, Maryland. A total of 400 likely voters were interviewed statewide by telephone between February 14 and February 16, 2010.
Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers. A cross-section of exchanges was utilized in order to ensure an accurate reflection of the state. Quotas were assigned to reflect the voter registration of distribution by county.
The margin for error, according to standards customarily used by statisticians, is no more than plus or minus 5% percentage points. This means that there is a 95 percent probability that the true figure would fall within that range if the entire population were sampled. The margin for error is higher for any subgroup, such as a gender or region.
SAMPLE FIGURES
Men
191
48%
Women
209
52%
Democrats
143
36%
Republicans
93
23%
Independents/Other
164
41%
North
255
64%
South
145
36%
QUESTION: Do you think Vermont Yankee should get another 20 year extension to operate in Vermont?
YES
NO
NOT SURE
ALL
27%
49%
24%
MEN
32%
43%
25%
WOMEN
22%
55%
23%
DEMOCRATS
12%
68%
20%
REPUBLICANS
57%
15%
28%
INDEPENDENTS
23%
51%
26%
NORTH
29%
47%
24%
SOUTH
23%
52%
25%
QUESTION: Should nuclear energy be a part of Vermont s energy future?
YES
NO
NOT SURE
ALL
29%
53%
18%
MEN
34%
47%
19%
WOMEN
24%
59%
17%
DEMOCRATS
16%
69%
15%
REPUBLICANS
57%
20%
23%
INDEPENDENTS
24%
58%
18%
NORTH
32%
51%
17%
SOUTH
24%
56%
20%
QUESTION: Would you favor or oppose closing Vermont Yankee and building a new nuclear power plant?
FAVOR
OPPOSE
NOT SURE
ALL
22%
63%
15%
MEN
26%
59%
15%
WOMEN
18%
67%
15%
DEMOCRATS
10%
79%
11%
REPUBLICANS
49%
26%
25%
INDEPENDENTS
17%
70%
13%
NORTH
24%
61%
15%
SOUTH
17%
67%
16%
QUESTION: Would you be willing to pay more for electricity if Vermont Yankee is shut down?
YES
NO
NOT SURE
ALL
66%
27%
7%
MEN
62%
32%
6%
WOMEN
70%
22%
8%
DEMOCRATS
81%
14%
5%
REPUBLICANS
29%
59%
12%
INDEPENDENTS
75%
20%
5%
NORTH
64%
29%
7%
SOUTH
69%
23%
8%