The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission has launched a survey to learn about the public’s concerns as the closure of the Palisades nuclear power plant draws near. Director John Egelhaaf tells WSJM News the commission is preparing for the closure from multiple angles. In addition to the direct effects, like the loss of hundreds of jobs, there are other effects to consider.
“The impacts like philanthropy and volunteerism and all these kinds of things where you lose coaches for baseball and you lose readers who come to elementary schools and read, all those kinds of things.”
Egelhaaf says he does hear a lot of conversation in the community about Palisades.
“They want to know what’s going on, they want to know how it might impact them, but generally speaking, we’re not seeing it as the kind of flashpoint that maybe some other parts of the world where nuclear decommissioning happens.”
The Southwest Michigan Planning Commission survey asks respondents about their knowledge of the plant closure, how they’re concerned, and if they want to be involved in the discussions taking place as part of the Palisades Nuclear Economic Recovery Initiative. You can find the survey here.
