Even as support for nuclear energy reaches its highest level in a decade, Americans still hesitate to welcome it into their communities.

A recent poll conducted by the Washington Post and the University of Maryland found the public is much more likely to be comfortable with wind and solar installations in their communities than nuclear power plants. Although support for nuclear nearby was higher among Republicans, who are typically more supportive of nuclear power, the overall acceptance rate still fell below 50%.

This reluctance to embrace clean, reliable energy is an unnecessary obstacle standing in the way of the clean energy future the public desires. While the poll did not directly ask respondents why they were hesitant about living near nuclear power plants, it's likely that safety concerns and fear are the primary driving factors behind the results. Over the years, the nuclear energy industry has been burdened by fearmongering and opposition from leading environmental groups, as profiled in the recent Oliver Stone documentary, Nuclear Now . 

In the wake of the Three Mile Island incident in 1979, environmental groups wrongly equated nuclear energy with nuclear weapons, invoking imagery of children in danger and a worldwide nuclear apocalypse. Celebrities such as Jane Fonda, who starred in The China Syndrome, became outspoken advocates for the anti-nuclear lobby. This brand of activism has been deeply destructive to the overall climate movement and likely prevented significant emissions reductions during a critical time in our nation’s history. If we had fully embraced clean nuclear power in the 1980s, it’s possible we wouldn’t be having the discussion around climate change that we are having today.

However, it's essential to set the record straight: Nuclear energy is not only safe but remarkably so. The industry's safety statistics are on par with wind and solar energy. In a hypothetical town entirely powered by nuclear energy, on average, one person would die from nuclear energy every 33 years.

Concerns about nuclear waste, often depicted as a scary green sludge in pop culture, are vastly exaggerated. The nuclear energy industry is the only one that takes full responsibility for the waste it generates and securely stores it on-site at nuclear plants across the country. All the nuclear waste produced in the United States could fit in a football field, 10 yards deep.

Still, it’s clear from the recent poll that nuclear energy still suffers from an image problem in the eyes of the general public. At the same time, nuclear energy’s best proponents are its neighbors. A remarkable 91% of residents who live near a nuclear power plant approve of its presence. It turns out being nuclear’s neighbor means good-paying jobs and reliable energy — not radioactive sludge and apocalyptic disaster.

The public has made its desire for climate solutions abundantly clear, and it is looking to leaders to take action. If ever there were an effective, emissions-reducing solution, it would be nuclear power. It is time for the public to embrace nuclear energy, not only in theory but also in their communities. By doing so, we can make significant strides toward a cleaner, brighter, and more sustainable future.

Danielle Butcher Franz is the CEO of the American Conservation Coalition. Follow her on X  @DanielleBFranz .