Clemson student survey shows 70% support use of coal for electricity

Above: Clemson University junior and CFACT volunteer Fish Belk poses with his clipboard as he participates in the survey project on campus.

CFACT helped lead an effort at Clemson University in South Carolina to determine the opinion of the student body on the issue of coal power in electricity generation. CFACT activists surveyed 985 students and found that a whopping 70% (69.95% to be exact) of students surveyed support the use of coal for electricity in South Carolina.

Clemson University students consider CFACT’s survey question about coal power.

Specifically, CFACT asked students “Do you support the use of coal to power electricity in South Carolina?” 689 students said “yes,” 145 students said “no,” while 151 students said they were “unsure.”

Across the United States, reliable sources of electricity, such as coal, are being forced to close in the name of ill-advised “Net Zero” policy. Part of the thinking behind this is that many young people supposedly support such efforts. These survey results, however, clearly show that young college students at Clemson University don’t want to shut down any coal plants that would threaten grid reliability or affordability.

“Currently, coal power production in South Carolina contributes to cheap and reliable power for its citizens, and using government regulation to force it out will only destabilize our electrical infrastructure,” said Fish Belk, a junior that helped CFACT with the survey and also serves as Chairman of the Clemson University College Republicans.

“There’s been rumors that the state might shut down coal plants here in South Carolina,” said CFACT National Field Coordinator Greg Neff, who helped lead the effort on the ground. “I hope these results make state bureaucrats realize that not even liberal-leaning college students agree with their bad idea.”

Another student gives his answer to CFACT’s survey.

According to the South Carolina Energy Office, the Palmetto State gets 28% of its electricity from coal, while solar and wind only make up 0.1% of South Carolina’s energy. Forcibly closing over a quarter of the state’s energy sources and trying to make that up from sources that don’t exist yet will only spell disaster for South Carolina families, seniors, and businesses.

Over the years, great advancements have been made in emissions and pollution regarding coal plants, and now many coal plants are equipped with emissions controls and scrubbers that stop things like carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide from ever reaching the atmosphere, including those in South Carolina. Carbon capture is also being employed around the nation, defeating the Leftist argument that the switch must be made to solar and wind as soon as possible in the name of the environment or “climate change.”