WASHINGTON, D.C. – Eighty-five percent of American voters agree that the U.S. should act to protect the diversity of its energy grid to minimize potential impacts from natural disasters like the devastating hurricanes that have struck the U.S. and the Caribbean in the past several weeks, according to a new poll by Morning Consult for the National Mining Association (NMA).
On the supply side, Hurricane Harvey disrupted natural gas production and impacted operations of several pipelines. Even before Irma made landfall in the continental U.S., nuclear power plants across Florida began to shut down.
During and after the hurricanes, damages to infrastructure were catastrophic, with millions expected to be without power for weeks. The U.S. Department of Energy has already announced $50 million in grants to support research and development of next-generation tools and technologies to further improve the resilience of the nation’s critical energy infrastructure.
“With millions of Americans in the dark from Texas to Florida, the U.S. government and the American people acknowledge a need to do more to secure America’s energy grid,” said Hal Quinn, NMA president and CEO. “One way to address potential supply challenges is to utilize a mix of different fuels, including coal, natural gas, nuclear power and renewables. Diversity in the energy market minimizes disruptions when any one fuel source is challenged. At the same time, we need to invest in our infrastructure and support the advanced technologies that make all energy sources as efficient as possible.”
The poll was conducted September 7-11, 2017, of 1,975 registered voters, with a margin of error of +/-2 percent.