Ralph DeSantis
Three Mile Island Communications
717-948-8930
Area Residents Strongly Support the Extension of
Three Mile Island's Operating License
LONDONDERRY TWP. Pa. (Sept. 8, 2008) – Eighty-seven percent of respondents to a new public opinion poll say they support allowing Three Mile Island to extend its operating license so the energy plant can continue to help meet the region’s electricity needs, the company announced today.
Harrisburg, Pa. based Susquehanna Polling and Research conducted the public opinion poll in July of residents within Dauphin, Cumberland and Lancaster Counties.
“The results of this public opinion poll are very encouraging and demonstrate that our focus on clean, safe operations and being a good neighbor and environmental steward have resulted in significant public support for Three Mile Island,” said William Noll, TMI Site Vice President. “We believe license renewal is good for Three Mile Island, its employees and the community. License renewal allows TMI to generate safe, reliable and clean energy until 2034.”
“Three Mile Island has always been a good neighbor in Londonderry Township,” said Daryl LeHew, Londonderry Twp. Board of Supervisors. “We all rely on TMI for lower electricity bills and a cleaner environment. Without TMI there would be a negative impact on our community’s economy.”
Susquehanna Polling and Research asked 800 residents in the region their opinions on Three Mile Island and nuclear energy. The poll includes two separate samples of 400 residents each. One sample is of residents living within 10 miles of TMI and the second sample is those residents living within the eight county region surrounding TMI. The margin of error for this sample size is plus or minus 5 percentage points.
Survey results show that 74 percent of respondents living in the eight county region surrounding TMI agree that the country should continue to rely on the use of existing nuclear energy plants and keep open the option to build new ones as a way to meet the country’s electricity needs in the future. Seventy-two percent of respondents living within the 10-mile radius of TMI also agree with this statement.
“Nuclear energy is an important piece of this country’s electricity mix as power needs across Pennsylvania and the country continue to grow,” said Noll. “Public support for the continued use of nuclear energy is a testament to the importance of Three Mile Island achieving license renewal. It is also a testament to the importance of nuclear energy for the electric supply and air quality, as nuclear energy plants emit virtually no greenhouse gas emissions during plant operations.”
The complete results of the poll are available on ThreeMileIslandInfo.com.
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AmerGen Energy LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Exelon Generation LLC, a unit of Exelon Corporation. Exelon Corporation is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities with approximately $19 billion in annual revenues. The company has one of the industry’s largest portfolios of electricity generation capacity, with a nationwide reach and strong positions in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Exelon distributes electricity to approximately 5.4 million customers in northern Illinois and Pennsylvania and natural gas to approximately 480,000 customers in the Philadelphia area. Exelon is headquartered in Chicago and trades on the NYSE under the ticker EXC.