The latest annual poll by the Conservative Energy Network (CEN) found that voters overwhelmingly back candidates who support clean energy, and a majority support Republicans’ efforts on energy policy.
CEN, a coalition of 24 state-based conservative clean energy organizations, released the results of their seventh annual national survey earlier this month.
The survey asked 1,000 registered voters across the nation their views on clean energy, competition, and related energy policy issues. The results show that candidates for public office should care about energy and climate change.
· 79% of respondents believe it’s important for candidates to share their opinion on clean energy issues with voters
· 81% support taking action to accelerate the development and use of clean energy in the United States
· 72% prefer approaches that allow markets and businesses to provide more clean energy production
· 63% would vote for elected officials or candidates who support clean energy development like solar and wind
· 82% would support a community solar project in their community
· 78% believe community solar should be a part of a diversified energy strategy
Additionally, a majority of respondents (51%) support the work the Republican Party is doing in addressing climate change for the first time in the poll’s history. That number is up 10% from a year ago.
According to CEN, the jump follows policy recommendations made over the summer by the House Republican Energy, Climate, and Conservation Task Force – a group formed by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Over 70% of respondents to the CEN poll said the country was headed in the wrong direction and 54% disapproved of the job President Biden was doing.
Read the full CEN poll results here.
Given the current state of global uncertainty, ever-rising fuel costs, and rampant inflation, it is more important than ever for our political leaders to clear pathways for increased domestic energy production in all forms. Increased domestic energy can lower electricity costs and pave the way for the country’s clean energy future.
One of the roadblocks to increased domestic energy production has been a cumbersome permitting process at the federal and state levels. The United States currently has some of the world’s highest construction costs for infrastructure projects due to the length of its regulatory review and approval processes, which can add a decade or more to projects.
Bipartisan efforts to reform the federal permitting process stalled in Congress at the end of the summer. The issue is expected to resurface post-midterms in the lame duck where the annual defense spending bill and the end-of-year omnibus appropriations bill must be passed before the end of the year and therefore offer last-chance opportunities to roll in permitting reform.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) and Sen. Shelly Moore-Capito (R-WV) have both proposed separate legislation to streamline permitting and speed up federal review of a range of energy projects, including electricity transmission and oil and natural gas drilling. It remains unclear which proposal will be favored in the lame duck or if the Senate will again punt until new members are sworn into office in January. What’s clear from the CEN poll is that voters would prefer lawmakers act sooner rather than later.