acceptance of the power plant by the local population has varied. when kkm was built there was little opposition to nuclear energy, but the situation rapidly changed after the accident at three mile island. in 1992 a public referendum in the canton of berne rejected granting an unlimited operating license to the power plant, with 51% voting against. in 2003, 68% of the population rejected the initiative named "strom ohne atom", that proposed that the plant should be shut down by 2005 to be replaced by non-nuclear power generation. a similar proposal at cantonal level had already been rejected in 2000 by 64% of voters. in 2006 the bernese government put forward a medium-term energy strategy including the renunciation to nuclear power. the swiss parliament, however, noted this and withheld its approval, delegating any decision on an eventual shutdown to the federal authorities. the same organ in 2007 urged the bernese government to work towards granting an unlimited operating license.