Results of Energy Poll
Washington DC -- A national public opinion survey released
today by a broad coalition of business, environmental,
consumer, and energy policy organizations confirms that most
citizens believe renewable energy and energy efficiency
should be given priority for federal energy funding but that
nuclear power and fossil fuels should be the first
technologies subject to budget cuts.
For the fifth year in a row, a majority of all Americans
(62%), and more than two-thirds (69%) of those expressing a
preference, would give the highest priority to funding the
U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) renewable energy (i.e.,
solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, and hydroelectric) and
energy efficiency research and development (R&D) programs.
On the other hand, nearly a third (31%) of respondents
selected nuclear power as the first R&D program that should
be subject to budget cuts, followed by fossil fuels (21%).
Only 5% would cut funding for energy efficiency R&D while
just 9% would reduce the renewable energy budget.
These findings, which reflect even higher levels of support
for sustainable energy programs than were measured in the
Coalition's earlier polls, cut across all political, gender,
age, geographic, and income categories. Ironically, recent
votes by the House Science Committee and Senate
Appropriations Committee would allocate federal energy
dollars in a manner completely at odds with the public's
preferences.
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SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COALITION
315 Circle Avenue, #2; Takoma Park, MD 20912-4836
(301-270-2258; fax: 301-891-2866)
