President Bush, who has taken a largely hands-off approach to California's energy crunch, fares much worse. The brunt of the public's displeasure, however, is aimed at the Legislature, the privately owned utilities and the state regulators who oversee the energy industry. It just makes me a little nervous, a little nervous of politicians and utilities. Instead, wholesale costs have skyrocketed. Faced with higher power bills and the threat of rolling blackouts for more than 30 consecutive days, Californians now strongly support stepped-up plant construction.
People are pretty . . .
But Californians, true to their eco-friendly image, remain fiercely protective of the state's environment. Californians are also chary of nuclear power, even as the economics of the long-moribund industry have dramatically improved. Far more popular are steps aimed at reducing the use of electricity. They're a little bit selfish and not thinking of the consequences. The Times Poll, under the supervision of director Susan Pinkus, interviewed 579 Californians.