Tri-Cities in the State of Washington, a Big Fan of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear Power Industry

Annette Cary reports that a poll conducted for Energy Northwest of 300 people living within 10 miles of its nuclear power plant near Richland, Wahington found that 94 percent support nuclear energy. Almost all of those people said they would like to see another nuclear energy facility located with Columbia Generating Station, which is on leased land at the Hanford nuclear reservation.

The poll was conducted in October and November by Bisconti Research and has a margin of error of plus or minus 6 percent. The company conducted a similar study for the Nuclear Energy Institute of people who lived within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant nationwide. Households with a person who worked at a nuclear power plant were excluded from both surveys.

In general, Tri-City-area residents surveyed were more pro-nuclear on average than those living near other nuclear plants in the nation. For instance, 94 percent of those surveyed locally said options to build more nuclear power plants should be kept open, compared to 78 percent in the nationwide study. And 86 percent of Tri-City-area residents would find it acceptable to add a new reactor at the Columbia Generating Station, compared to 68 percent nationwide who said it would be acceptable to add another reactor nearby.

The Columbia Generating Station is a topic on which both Democrats and Republicans could find some common ground. Of the Democrats and Republicans who were polled, 90 percent had a favorable impression of the local nuclear power plant. Among independents, 87 had a favorable view. That contrasts with the national view broken down by politics. Just 80 percent of Democrats nationwide had a favorable view of the nearest national plant.

“The people closest to us who know us best, give us the strongest support,” said Mark Reddemann, chief executive for Energy Northwest, which owns and operates the Columbia Generating Station as a public agency. “They see the tangible impact of a thousand good-paying jobs,” he said. Of those surveyed near the Columbia Generating Station, 95 percent said the plant helps the local economy.