Public Opinion Strongly Supports Clean Energy & Reducing Carbon in Tennessee According to New Survey
Newly Released Poll Finds Strong Support for Increasing Renewable Energy and Implementing EPA’s Carbon Rule in the Volunteer State
Contact: Jennifer Rennicks, Jennifer@cleanenergy.org, 865-235-1448
Knoxville, Tenn. – In a June 2-5 poll, commissioned with funds from the Energy Foundation, the conservative polling firm North Star Opinion Research found strong support among Tennesseans for increasing the state’s use of renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions through the Clean Power Plan, also known as EPA’s carbon rule.
The poll of 600 registered voters confirms that over two-thirds of those surveyed believe that EPA’s new rule will reduce pollution and improve public health and air quality throughout Tennessee, and an overwhelming majority of those polled (80%) support increasing the use of renewable energy in Tennessee to meet the state’s energy needs.
“I am very pleased to see the strong support for reducing carbon emissions in our state, especially among Republican respondents,” said Susan Richardson Williams, principle of SRW & Associates and grantee of the Energy Foundation. “Over 62% of Republicans surveyed and 68% of the total surveyed think it is a good idea for Tennessee power plants to reduce the amount of carbon they release. That is significant.”
While the results show that Tennessee voters are evenly split between those who feel their electricity bills are too high (50%) and those who feel their bills are about right (45%), more than half of the respondents (58%) said they would be willing to pay more on their energy bill if it meant a higher percentage came from renewable energy.
“These results confirm that there is strong support for new rules to reduce carbon pollution and increase renewable energy in Tennessee,” said Dr. Stephen A. Smith, executive director for the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy and grantee of the Energy Foundation. “These issues are not controversial, but enjoy a broad base of bipartisan support.”
In-person interviews were conducted with 600 registered voters in Tennessee from June 2-5, 2014, achieving a margin of error within 4 percentage points.
View the full results of the poll at http://www.cleanenergy.org/tennesseeenergypoll-pdf/
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