Nearly two-thirds of Americans support offshore drilling, if a new Rasmussen poll can be believed (and considering the phrasing of past polls, that's arguable). The recent survey shows 64 of Americans in support of drilling offshore and 20 percent against it. John McCain was originally opposed to offshore drilling but embraced it in June; Barack Obama opposes it but said recently that he'd consider it within a larger package including alternative-energy incentives. Forty-two percent of Rasmussen poll-takers said that allowing drilling offshore would have the biggest impact on energy prices, while 16 percent chose new nuclear plants, 16 percent chose government funding for fuel-efficiency R&D, and 11 percent chose tax credits for hybrids. A different Rasmussen survey indicated that 61 percent of voters, including 48 percent of Democrats, think the recessed Congress should immediately reconvene for a vote on offshore drilling, as Republicans have been demanding. Recent surveys have also indicated that voters believe McCain's priority is finding new sources of energy while Obama's priority is reducing energy consumption -- and that nearly two-thirds of Americans believe finding new energy sources is more important than cutting energy use.
source: Rasmussen Reports, Rasmussen Reports
see also, in Gristmill: Coastal governors stand in the way of offshore drilling, even if Congress approves it
EU pushes China further after pledge to slow carbon intensity
Chuck Norris on Copenhagen
Comments
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Wolverine Posted 7:24 am
14 Aug 2008
I don't think environmentalists should be dismissive of these polls, because they're almost certainly true. Remember, support for environmental concerns is very shallow, regardless of how broad it may be on certain issues. Instead of dismissing the polls as being wrong or inaccurate, we must find a strategy to change public opinion from that of the immature selfish kid to one of being a mature member of the global society, which includes all forms of life. Any ideas?
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Masked Goddess Posted 9:04 am
14 Aug 2008
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north, east, south, and sea
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Radiation in the ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
1971 - Marvin Gaye's words - and what has changed people? How can you not get it? I have to agree w/Wolverine. Most people I've talked with about this in the last 2 months are for offshore drilling and even building more nuclear power plants. The we want it all and we want it now mentality has gotten us into this mess. Howz 'bout we do it differently this time round folks?
And to quote Chief Seattle: Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.
Are those of you with kids and grandkids forgetting that we're teaching them how to treat the Earth and one another?
And as Marvin also sang: makes me wanna holler.
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guade00 Posted 12:03 pm
14 Aug 2008
We'll get there, but the world may take on a WALL-E-esque color palette before we do.
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Delay And Deny Posted 1:25 pm
14 Aug 2008
Wait a minute...when did "environmentalism" shift from decrying waste and pollutants to attacking overall economic productivity?
I think that yes, way back in the 1970s, there was a case that the two were linked...because quite frankly almost all industry was dirty.
But times have changed...if not the mindset of ecologists.
Today's cars produce very little pollution compared to the Ford Torino's of 1973.
If the ecologists didn't have the CO2 scare, which in a exceedingly fragile chain of logic, now gives them opportunity to not only criticize by products but also the entire American lifestyle and economy, there wouldn't be much for them to do.
What, I ask, will happen when we all drive H2 powered cars, fueled by solar electrolysis? What, is the difference at that point between a person living in a 4 bedroom house in the exurbs and a person living in a 14 story studio in the old urb?
My vision is that what was called the suburbs...which have stretched the very paradigm of "the grid" are not breaking the grid. With independent and locally generated power. With WiMax (Clearwire) that can provide broadband without wires. With water purification driven by wind and sun.
This is not so much a criticism of people doing bad things to the environment, as a retrogarde fear of new freedom.
"They" are the Village Green Preservation Society.
"Preserving the old ways from being abused
Protecting the new ways for me and for you"
--Kinks
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randino Posted 8:33 pm
14 Aug 2008
Oil drilling is our society's Ghost Dance. It will fail, just like the other one did. But desperate people can easily fall for false promises of shamans or politicians.
Randy Cunningham
Cleveland, OH
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jja Posted 10:39 pm
14 Aug 2008
One difference is: the exurb person will still be sitting in a traffic jam in their H2 powered car, wearing down the asphalt, wearing down their patience, driving up their stress level, costing the economy in innumerable ways.
But at least he/she can step out of the car while traffic is at a full stop, and collect some pure H20 from the tailpipe to drink and get refreshed.
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MattKirby Posted 12:21 am
15 Aug 2008
http://www.sierraclub.org/wildlegacy/blog/2008/08/america ...
Read the poll here:
http://www.lcv.org/polls/gqr_energy.pdf
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Wolverine Posted 3:15 am
15 Aug 2008
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Howell Haus Posted 4:24 am
15 Aug 2008
These don't sound like much, but when we use these - far and wide, each small change can produce a huge impact. And, if we heed the call to conserve and switch to renewables, then these shell game calls for leases that provide no immediate benefit can tell in time whether they mattered or not. Let's face it, if those leases are held without action and we devote our resources to renewables, then the leases will still be available later, when the companies seeking them will have exhausted all the other leases they're not currently using.
Let's hope that Americans will begin to wake up to the realities of a subsidized life and lifestyle and understand that, now more than ever, the dollar has a vote. Our dollars will not be well spent on oil - any further. In fact, with record oil profits, the existing subsidies should be retrieved and added to the incentives for renewables - not support and subsidize more dirty oil, coal, etc. As for me and mine, we'll see you out there, on our bikes of course...
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randino Posted 4:42 am
15 Aug 2008
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mtvyfan Posted 7:44 am
15 Aug 2008
Everyone in this country and I say in this country first, because we are responsible for setting an example to the rest of the world due to the rest of the world wanting to emulate the American lifestyle. We need to lead the way in conservation and energy efficiency and we are sleeping at the switch!
I pray things change with a new administration, but who knows. I hope it's not just business as usual for this country and we still remain the hypocrites of the world. Expecting other countries to change their polluting ways while we do nothing.
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Pathos Posted 2:37 pm
15 Aug 2008
One sported the words "Obama's energy plan" and a tire gauge.
No... There isn't an agenda behind this poll...
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jb943 Posted 2:18 am
20 Aug 2008
I know of this recent poll, too.
1.) New Poll Shows that Americans Prefer Clean Energy:
League of Conservation Voters, August 11, 2008
http://www.lcv.org/newsroom/press-releases/new-poll-shows ...
A new national energy poll reveals that Americans favor investment in clean, renewable energy over increased oil drilling when presented with the full spectrum of energy options. The report was released today by the League of Conservation Voters, the Sierra Club, and the Natural Resources Defense Council Action Fund. Some of the poll's top findings indicate that 83 percent of Americans support a plan to end America's addiction to oil through investment in wind, solar, and next generation biofuel technology, 20 percent more than supported increased offshore drilling. 80 percent believe that America should put a stop to billions of dollars in oil subsidies and use the money to invest in renewable sources. Click here to download the Greenberg Quinlan Rosner Research poll: http://www.lcv.org/polls/gqr_energy.pdf
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