Poll: Kansas Voters Support National Renewable Energy Standard

"A federal Renewable Energy Standard would create a magnitude of economic and wind development that would create opportunities for not just this generation of Kansans, but for this century," said Nancy Jackson, director of the Climate and Energy Project based in Lawrence.

"Improved national security, reliable energy, environmental benefits, economic development – in the very near future, the Kansas congressional delegation can bring home an enormous win for our state," said Jackson.

Republican polling firm Ayres, McHenry & Associates conducted the survey for the Climate and Energy Project. Pollsters sampled 600 registered voters randomly across the state between April 26 and 29.

Jacson said, "This survey tells us that Kansans recognize that a national standard positions wind, sun, and biomass-rich Kansas to go well beyond supplying our own needs and become a leading exporter of renewable energy."

By more than three to one, respondents support a national energy efficiency resource standard that would require utilities to help consumers use existing energy resources more wisely.

By a margin of five to one, respondents support a national standard that would require utilities to generate more energy from renewable sources like wind and solar.

Wind turbines spin on a farm near Montezuma, Kansas (Photo by Warren Gretz courtesy NREL)

Nearly nine in 10 Kansans polled believe renewable energy is a path to stronger national security - 88 percent percent of Kansans find it to be a "persuasive argument" that utilizing renewable energy will strengthen national security.

By a three to one margin, respondents believe it is better to use renewable energy over nuclear and coal power.

Eight in 10 respondents agree investing in renewables will create more jobs.

Seventy-one percent of Kansans polled support a national standard that would require utilities to procure a set percentage of their energy from wiser use of the energy they already generate.

Eighty-one percent of those surveyed believe there needs to be a national standard requiring anywhere from 15 to 25 percent of our energy comes from renewable sources by 2021.

Eighty-four percent are willing to pay an extra $2 a month to make this a reality; 73 percent are willing to pay $5 more a month.

The Climate and Energy Project is a nonprofit organization supporting informed conversations about America's energy future.

Working under the umbrella of the Land Institute based in Salinas, CEP says its goal is to make the Midwest more energy efficient and reduce dependence on fossil fuels by advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies that are environmentally and socially sustainable.

Jackson has found that public opinion polls are a useful tool to further understanding of energy issues.

In October 2007, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment denied air permits for two 700 megawatt coal-fired power plants in Holcomb on the grounds that they would emit too much of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide. It was the first in the nation to deny a power plant a permit based on climate concerns.

Proponents of the power plants characterized the decision as risky, bad for business, and unpopular.

A poll commissioned by the Climate and Energy Project found that in fact, "By a 2:1 margin, Kansans agree with the recent decision to deny air quality permits for two proposed 700-megawatt coal burning plants in their state."

In the independent statewide poll, a majority of Kansans surveyed agreed with the decision. In western Kansas – the proposed location of the plants – only two in five citizens oppose the decision while 51 percent favor it."

Then Governor Kathleen Sebelius vetoed each of the State Legislature's several attempts to authorize the coal-fired plants.

Now, Congress is considering several versions of a national renewable energy standard. According to Jackson, the future economic development of Kansas is at stake.

Grid operators expect the Southwest Power Pool region to supply as much as 60,000 megawatts of wind energy by 2030, with most production coming from Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma. Jackson cites studies suggesting that the economic impact to Kansas is in the neighborhood of $23 billion and 12,000 jobs by 2030.

Add manufacturing to support the wind build-out and the numbers get even larger. Kansans can enjoy these economic benefits with relatively few costs, Jackson says. A recent Energy Information Administration study projects the cost of a national renewable energy standard to be negligible, especially in states like Kansas that are rich in wind resources.

"Our congressional delegation has the power to deliver a national renewable energy standard," said Jackson. "Several bills are in play – all of them good for Kansas."

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2009. All rights reserved.