An overwhelming 86 percent of Colorado residents want to limit subsidies for oil shale production and halt new coal-fired power plants, according to a newly released poll.

The survey of 600 Colorado adults conducted by Opinion Research Corporation also found support for
federal and state investment in wind and solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, and highly fuel-efficient vehicles. The study was conducted for TheCLEAN.org and the Civil Society Institute, and was released by Western Colorado Congress, a community action alliance focused on protecting and enhancing the quality of life in western Colorado.

Key findings of the poll include:

• A halt to construction of new coal-fired power plants is supported by most Colorado adults. Just over three out of four respondents in Colorado (76 percent) and 73 percent of Americans would support a five-year moratorium on new coal-fired power plants in the United States if there were stepped-up investment in clean, safe renewable energy — such as wind and solar — and improved home energy-efficiency standards.
• Only 9 percent of Colorado residents favor subsidies for unregulated oil shale production. Nearly two out of five state residents (38 percent) favor no subsidies at all for oil shale; roughly half (48 percent) believe that subsidies for oil shale should only exist with “strict environmental controls.” Taken together, the latter two data points mean that nearly nine out of 10 Colorado residents favor eliminating or placing strong conditions on oil shale subsidies.
• Nearly nine out of 10 Colorado residents (87 percent) believe that “natural gas companies should have to provide information to nearby communities and residents about hazardous chemicals used and produced in natural gas production.” Only about one in 10 (11 percent disagree on the grounds that “disclosure of hazardous chemicals would give information to competitors and harm the gas company.”

“Colorado residents deserve credit for understanding that more investment by the state and federal governments in coal and nuclear power is essentially the same thing as investing in subprime mortgages,” Civil Society Institute President and Founder Pam Solo said in a statement.

“If Colorado taxpayers are going to directly or indirectly underwrite energy development and energy-intensive industries — such as the auto industry — we need to insist that state officials in Denver and the next Congress and president make good, solid investments that make sense for the long-term of our country. The only energy investments that rise above the ’subprime’ level today are wind, solar and other clean renewable energy in concert with enhanced energy efficiency.”

Nuclear power may be a viable solution to our energy needs, but many questions surround its safety.
In New York, especially after the 1979 Three Mile Island accident in nearby Pennsylvania, future plans for the nuclear power plant in Indian Point have come under fire. Until recently the debate has been a financial one between the plant’s owner and the state of New York. But last week, a new report in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America brought up the danger of potential earthquakes beneath the plant, that could have grave consequences.

Researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University examined earthquakes that took place from 1677 to 2007. In the report, they determined that a magnitude 5 quake in or around Manhattan occurs once a century. They also discovered previously undetected area of potential seismic activity, a 25-mile fault line that runs within one mile of the Indian Point nuclear power plant, just outside of New York City.

Because of New York’s large concentration of people, the possibility of any earthquake near that nuclear power facility is particularly dangerous.

Nearly 10 million people live within 25 miles of the Indian Point nuclear plant, including the 8.2 million in the New York metropolitan area, according to the report.

Lynn Sykes, the lead author of the study, said that attention needs to be given to bridges, schools, fire stations near Indian Point nuclear power plant, located 24 miles west of New York City along the Hudson River at the town of Buchanan.

Currently the owner of the plant, Entergy, is looking to extend its operating license of the plant by 20 years. Sykes, a respected veteran in the seismology field, recently told the Associated Press that he is opposed to the extension due to the potential danger a quake could cause.

Prior to publication, the report was provided to New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in order to take the quake info into account when considering the extension.

Nuclear power, which is made by splitting uranium or plutonium atoms, provides about 20 percent of the country’s electricity. The Environmental Defense Fund says that although nuclear fuel emits very little carbon dioxide, there is concern about its safety to the environment as well as to our health. The problem comes from the storage of nuclear waste. There currently is not a plan for longterm storage and disposal which the EDF identifies as an issue because it makes the U.S. vulnerable to terrorist attack or theft.

Entergy maintains that its facility is safe and secure and points to a report by an independent panel. The company website safety pages also explain how it stores fuel.

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