Poll shows 93% of NC voters say Duke shareholders should pay for coal ash cleanup

Press Release

From NC WARN:

Durham, NC –Results of a recent poll show that, overwhelmingly across the political spectrum, North Carolina voters believe that Duke Energy shareholders – not customers – should bear the cost of cleaning up all of the utility’s 33 toxic coal ash dumps, and that those whose negligence caused the disastrous Dan River ash spill deserve to be penalized.

NC WARN today reiterated its call that lawmakers need to take decisive action on the issue of coal ash clean-up and who will pay for it, rather than punting to state regulators who have long coddled Duke Energy.

The survey of 500 North Carolina voters was commissioned by NC WARN and completed by TelOpinion Research.

·       93% said Duke Energy shareholders, not its customers, should pay for the cost of cleaning up the utility’s 33 coal ash dumps.

·       81% said that they would have good reason to vote AGAINST a candidate who allows Duke Energy to pass the cost of cleaning up its coal ash sites to its customers or the public.

·       79% said that all toxic coal ash storage sites in the state should be cleaned up while only 8% said only the Dan River needed to be cleaned up.

·       68% said they are concerned that Duke Energy will target low-income communities as locations to dump their toxic coal ash.

·       An overwhelming 95% said that if Duke Energy or government agencies were found negligent in the coal ash spill investigation, they should be penalized. 28%supported large fines, 26% supported those found guilty losing their jobs and 6% supported jail time, while 29% believed that those found guilty should receive all three: large fines, loss of their position AND jail time.

See the full poll results

Results collected and reported by TelOpinion Research from a fully representative sample of 500 North Carolina voters on June 6^th through 8^th, 2014. Margin of error +/- 4.5%. TelOpinion Research is based in Alexandria, VA and is best known for working with a variety of organizations and Republican candidates both locally and nationally.