A Sierra Club survey sure to stir up a political storm has found voters like wind and solar so much that they support President Obama's Clean Power Plant, which would probably force utilities to close more coal-burning power plants.
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The public prefers wind turbines and solar arrays over power plants that burn coal and oil -- or even new natural-gas-fired plants. Yet only about half of Ohio's registered voters know anything about President Obama's Clean Power Plan, a survey released Friday revealed.
Commissioned by the Sierra Club, and conducted last week, the survey of registered voters in Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Virginia and Maine also found that:
- Despite the spotty awareness of the Clean Power Plan, whopping majorities in all six states -- two thirds of Ohio voters for example -- said they are in favor of the plan that would cut overall carbon dioxide emissions;
- Voters would more likely favor a U.S. Senate candidate who is in favor of the clean power plan, a factor in four of the six states, including Ohio, where Republican incumbent Rob Portman is facing a challenge from former Democrat and former Gov. Ted Strickland.
- Voters trust the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over members of Congress on the question of setting limits on air and water pollution;
- About half of those surveyed think the United States should be doing more to combat climate change.
- But at the same time, only about a third of voters think climate change is a serious problem.
Click here to see the poll.
"It is bit shocking that people are not really that aware of what is going on," said Samantha Allen, a spokeswoman for the Sierra Club in Ohio.
"But the survey also shows that a majority of Ohioans are ready to do something about climate change. The state's elected officials are not hearing what the public wants," she said.
However, the survey did not ask voters whether they would still prefer green energy if it meant its increased deployment would drive up electric rates.
Still, nationally, the Sierra Club immediately announced that the polling showed strong support for the Clean Power Plan and that Congress should get behind it rather than block its implementation as the Senate is considering.
"This data clearly show that majorities in these states support the EPA's Clean Power Plan," said Grace McRae, Sierra Club's polling and research director.
"Voters across the partisan spectrum want the EPA to limit dangerous carbon pollution and are ready to support candidates who will act to make that happen," she said in prepared remarks.
Ohio and 26 other states already have filed suit against the Clean Power Plan in federal court on jurisdictional issues.
Joe Andrews, spokesman for Gov. John Kasich, said the polling was not relevant to public policy.
"The Ohio EPA has detailed 150 pages of concerns with plan and has filed with U.S. EPA. Regardless, the governor has never formulated policy positions based on polls -- particularly polls sponsored by lobbyist entities with skin in the game," he said.
Dozens of business and industrial groups -- led by the National Association of Manufacturing -- also are suing. But hundreds more support the plan.
Public Policy Polling, a North Carolina polling firm that works for Democratic candidates, conducted the surveys late last week and through the weekend. Pollsters interviewed between 550 and 770 registered voters in each state.