Bipartisan majority wants clean energy

A new national survey shows overwhelming and bipartisan support for clean energy policies that go far beyond what is currently in place, especially in Kentucky.

More than 80 percent of the 1,019 people asked agreed with the statement: “The time is now for a new, grassroots-driven politics to realize a renewable energy future.” The favorable response included 69 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of Independents, and 95 percent of Democrats.

The survey further defined that policy as “one that protects public health, promotes energy independence and the economic well being of all Americans.”

“It is apparent that Americans overwhelmingly favor clean and renewable energy,” said Steve Sanders, director of the Appalachian Citizens Law Center, which co-released the survey findings in Kentucky with the Civil Society Institute and KFTC. “For Kentucky, that means we must plan now for a future which is much less dependent on coal as a source of electric power.”

Nearly as many respondents (75 percent) agreed that “Congress and state public utility commissions that regulate electric utilities should put more emphasis on renewable energy and increased energy efficiency … and less emphasis on major investments in new nuclear, coal and natural gas plants.” This included 58 percent of Republicans, 84 percent of Independents, and 86 percent of Democrats.

“These results show that people all over the country want clean energy and it’s time for Kentucky to catch up with other states to make cleaner energy affordable and accessible to people who want to invest in that,” said Amanda Fuller, a KFTC member in Louisville.

“Renewable Portfolio Standards and feed-in tariffs are two initiatives that we can do right now that don’t cost our state any money,” Fuller pointed out. Those initiatives were included in the Clean Energy Opportunity Act, legislation that received a hearing but no vote in the recently adjourned session of the Kentucky General Assembly.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents agreed that “(t)he energy industry's extensive and well-financed public relations, campaign contributions and lobbying  machine is a major barrier to moving beyond business as usual when it comes to America’s energy policy.”

“We’re losing jobs,” Fuller said, noting that the contractor who installed solar electric and solar hot water systems on her house is challenged to find enough work to stay in business. “There are skilled people who have the technical backgrounds who are out of work because we don’t have the policies that support clean energy.”

An independent study released in January concluded that passage of the Clean Energy Opportunity Act would result in 28,000 new jobs in Kentucky over the next 10 years.

The clean energy survey was conducted by phone March 22-25 by ORC International for the Civil Society Institute. Respondents were 506 men and 513 women 18 years of age and older.

The questions went well beyond a simple "Do you favor or oppose ____ policies" often taken in such surveys, explained Pam Solo, president of the Civil Society Institute. She said the results show how deeply Americans understand what's at stake in our energy decisions.

A report with the survey findings is available here.