Connecticut voters oppose special treatment for the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant

HARTFORD, Conn., May 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Connecticut Petroleum Council today released a new poll showing that the overwhelming majority of Connecticut registered voters oppose legislation that would give special treatment to the Millstone Nuclear Power Plant and agree that consumers in the state should not be forced to pay more for electricity to help Millstone be more profitable.

"Consumers across the state have spoken loud and clear," said Executive Director Steve Guveyan. "78 percent of voters across the state oppose legislation that would give the Millstone nuclear power plant 'special treatment' with ratepayers footing the bill. What's more, the majority of voters across the state believes that electricity prices will be lower with competition, NOT intervention by the government. When 66 percent of Connecticut voters already think electricity costs are too high in the state, it makes no sense for any legislator in the state to support this misguided legislation."

"We believe consumers benefit most when markets are allowed to flourish without mandates, riders and special treatment by lawmakers and regulators," said API Chief Economist Erica Bowman. "Unfortunately, Senate Bill 106 does the exact opposite for Connecticut consumers. Instead of providing special treatment to nuclear power companies, we should let the markets protect consumers as they are currently doing for consumers across Connecticut and the nation."

Other poll results:

• 69 percent of voters believe Connecticut is on the wrong track.
• 66 percent of voters are concerned about electricity prices on the state.
• 59 percent of voters believe electricity prices will be lower with competition, instead of the state government choosing who can provide electricity.
• 76 percent of voters agree that sources of electricity should be based on the marketplace, not special treatment for one company.
• 76 percent of voters agree that consumers should not be required to pay more for electricity to help Millstone be more profitable in today's competitive marketplace.

The poll results were released on a press conference call this morning. The opening statement and results of the poll are available on API's website.

The Connecticut Petroleum Council is a division of API, which represents all segments of America's oil and natural gas industry. Its more than 625 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nation's energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and is backed by a growing grassroots movement of more than 40 million Americans.

Methodology

The study was conducted on May 1-4, 2017, by telephone by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute among 822 Connecticut registered voters, with a sampling error of +/- 3.4 percent. A full methodology is available upon request.

 "What America is Thinking on Energy Issues" is a public opinion series provided by API, offering data to inform policy discussions and ensure policymakers and others know Americans' perspectives on key energy issues.

SOURCE American Petroleum Institute