MONTPELIER – Tritium leaks and allegations that Entergy officials lied to state regulators have shaken the confidence that state residents have in the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, according to a new poll.

The Civil Society Institute, a Newton, Mass.-based climate change think tank, released a survey Monday showing that 65 percent of Vermonters say the tritium leaks at the plant make them "less likely" to support its continued operation beyond 2012.

Release of the survey, based on phone interviews with 802 Vermonters and having a margin of error of 3 percent, comes less than a week after the Senate voted to shut down the plant and a day before several towns will vote on a similar issue at town meeting.

"It would appear from these survey findings that Entergy has dug itself a very deep hole from which it may not be able to emerge," said Graham Hueber, the senior researcher for Opinion Research Corp., the firm that did the polling. "For example, fewer than half of Vermont residents — 46 percent — now trust Entergy to clean up the tritium leaks at Vermont Yankee."

According to the poll, Republicans appear to be the only political base that still retains some strong level of support for Vermont Yankee. The question regarding operation beyond 2012 found that 44 percent said the problems make them "less likely" to support the plant. That's compared with 80 percent for Democrats and 60 percent for independents.

Other findings in the survey include:

71 percent of Vermonters say the recent controversies have made them less supportive of Vermont Yankee than they were six months ago.

9 percent of Vermonters want their power utilities to use nuclear power for their homes, with 71 percent preferring renewable sources such as wind and solar.

76 percent of Vermonters say the tritium leak has made them less confident in Vermont Yankee's ability to manage the plant.

Vermonters do seem split overall on nuclear power. About 49 percent of residents see nuclear power as the "power source of yesterday." Another 47 percent believe it is the "power source of tomorrow."

There were some head-scratching findings in the survey. About 4 percent of Vermonters believe taxpayers here should pay for Vermont Yankee's decommissioning. And 28 percent of those surveyed said the tritium leaks have made them less supportive of closing down the plant in 2012.

The survey was conducted by interviewing 802 Vermonters – 399 men and 403 women – all above the age of 18. The poll was conducted between Feb. 19 and 22 and was weighted to reflect the general age and makeup of the state's residents.

The survey's results confirm what anti-nuclear organizations and activists have been saying throughout this debate, according to James Moore, the clean energy program director for the Vermont Public Interest Research Group.

"They see an obsolete plant leaking radioactive material," Moore said. "They see an out-of-state owner they cannot trust. But they also see the benefits of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency."

The Civil Society Institute describes itself as an independent, nonpartisan think tank, although the organization does have a policy opposing nuclear power. Pam Solo, the founder and president of Civil Society Institute, said they oppose nuclear power based on the cost of investment to taxpayers.

"We believe there are other options, that there is a wiser use of public funds, since it is the American taxpayers who will pay for this," she said, adding that they paid for the survey from their own funds and not from any other sources.

Larry Smith, a spokesman for Vermont Yankee, said the company is aware that they have a trust issue with Vermonters at the moment. But he said they are focused on fixing their problems – including "the need for accurate information."

"In time we will earn back the trust of Vermonters and they will learn the value of Vermont Yankee," Smith said.

The Vermont Senate voted last week against the continued operation of Vermont Yankee, although the final result was nonbinding. At least 12 towns are expected to vote today on a ballot item at town meeting regarding the future of the plant.

"These survey findings indicate that the Vermont Senate action to close Vermont Yankee by 2012 was very much in keeping with the views of the state's residents," Solo said. "As a result, we are likely to see many of the 14 Vermont town hall meetings where this same issue will be deliberated arrive at a similar outcome."

daniel.barlow@rutlandherald.com