Morning Consult Polling for Electric Power Supply Association Shows 58% of U.S. Voters Support Competition to Minimize Cost of Clean Energy
For Immediate Release: September 21, 2021
Contact: Christina Nyquist | cnyquist@epsa.org
Washington, D.C. – More than three-fourths of U.S. voters are concerned by the cost of President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ spending plan, according to a new poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA), the national trade association representing competitive power suppliers. Majorities support strategies that would inject more competition and requirements to bring down the cost of the proposed $150 billion clean electricity program included in the spending package.
“American taxpayers should not have to pay steep prices for clean energy when we know there are far lower-cost options available,” said Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of EPSA. “Policymakers have made it clear that reducing emissions from the power generation sector is a top priority. But it shouldn’t come with a blank check to monopoly utilities to try and achieve that goal. We are concerned that as currently proposed, the Clean Electricity Performance Program (CEPP) would do just that.
Snitchler continued, “Nearly three in five voters say they want policies that promote competition, agreeing with Senator Manchin that we shouldn’t pay utilities more to do what they’re already doing. And, competitive power suppliers are leading the way in bringing least-cost, cutting edge clean energy technology to the grid through private investment.
We have brought forward a number of ideas to improve the CEPP that can put us further along the path toward a just and reliable energy transition, making sure the nation gets more bang for its buck when it comes to building clean energy and reducing emissions,” he concluded.
Key findings from the survey conducted September 14-18, 2021 include:
More than three-fourths of U.S. voters (78%) voice concern about the price tag of Congressional Democrats’ $3.5 trillion spending package, with 38% saying they are very concerned compared to the 13% who say they are not concerned at all.
- More than three in five voters (62%) surveyed agree that Congress should require utilities to procure clean energy at the lowest possible cost.
Market-based strategies that leverage competition and private investment in clean energy are popular.
- Nearly three in five voters (58%) would support the passage of policies that promote competition among energy producers to minimize to cost of transitioning to lower emitting resources as compared to paying utility companies significant amounts of money through taxpayer funds to follow through on their existing plans to adopt lower emitting energy.
- Three times as many voters surveyed (54%) favor leveraging market competition and private investment to promote clean energy use over those who support allocating a set amount of taxpayer dollars to pay power providers for reducing their carbon emissions (18%).
- Seven in ten voters (70%) agree that competitive bidding should be part of the process for determining who is paid to carry out energy infrastructure projects.
- Nearly half of voters (48%) say private investment from companies should be the primary funder of the country’s transition toward cleaner energy infrastructure – nearly double the share (25%) that want to direct government payments to monopoly utilities or place the burden on individual taxpayers or the federal government.
Carbon pricing as a means to incentivize emissions reductions has voter support.
- Four in seven voters (57%) would support carbon pricing. Relatively few voters (21%) oppose such a measure.
Voters consider electrical reliability a top priority to consider alongside goals of promoting reliance on clean energy resources – older voters are particularly insistent on this.
- Eighty-three percent of voters say maintaining the overall reliability of the country’s electric infrastructure is important as policymakers pursue clean energy goals.
- Voters are comfortable with continued reliance on natural gas to meet U.S. energy demands. Nearly three-quarters (73%) agree it should be included in clean energy policies. Just 11% of voters surveyed disagree.
Methodology: This poll was conducted by Morning Consult from September 14-18, 2021 among a national sample of 2,073 registered U.S. voters. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of voter based on age, gender, educational attainment, race, and region. Results from the full survey have a margin of error of plus or minus 2%.
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The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) is the national trade association representing America’s competitive power suppliers. EPSA members provide about 150,000 MW of reliable and competitively priced electricity from environmentally responsible facilities using a diverse mix of fuels and technologies including natural gas, wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, storage, biomass, and coal. EPSA seeks to bring the benefits of competition to all power customers. Learn more at www.epsa.org and connect with us on LinkedIn and Twitter @EPSAnews.
