90% of U.S. voters say it is important for the U.S. government to consider reliability and affordability of energy sources when developing its energy strategy.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Christina Nyquist | cnyquist@epsa.org
Washington, D.C. – The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) released new poll data today showing American voters overwhelmingly support consumer choice in electricity markets and oppose policies that saddle consumers with higher bills through bailouts for power plants. Vast majorities of voters in this poll make clear their preference for affordable, reliable energy solutions that reduce power generation emissions using all available resources. Competitive power markets and competitive power suppliers are uniquely positioned to accomplish those goals.
Further, nearly two-thirds (65%) of voters oppose policies that prop up struggling power plants by increasing utility bills or taxes. And just seven percent of voters believe taxpayers and consumers should pay for new or existing power plants in the first place.
“Americans understand that struggling power plants should retire, and that political influence only results in higher bills and less efficiency,” said Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of EPSA. “What this poll makes clear is that voters prioritize reliability and affordability, and they are fed up with bailouts and the political gamesmanship we’ve seen in multiple states, including Ohio and Illinois. What voters want is simple: policies that prioritize reducing emissions efficiently and at the lowest cost.”
Additionally, the poll further reveals the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on American family budgets. Fifty percent of voters said they could not afford an electricity bill increase of $15 or less, including 25% who said they could not afford an increase of any amount. Meanwhile, 43 percent of voters said they worried about paying their family’s monthly bills.
“The results of this poll confirm some of our worst fears about the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumers, but they also reaffirm Americans’ strong support for EPSA’s core policy positions: keep costs low for consumers, encourage competition to spur innovation that reduces emissions, and end bailouts paid for by taxpayers and consumers,” Snitchler said.
Click here for poll results.
Key findings include:
When considering Congress’ role in power generation decisions, a vast majority of Americans support reliable and affordable energy and policies that target cost-effective emissions reductions.
- 90% say it is important for the U.S. government to encourage reliable and affordable energy sources.
- 83% want Congress to focus on encouraging reliable and affordable electricity.
- 86% believe minimizing customer and taxpayer power generation costs is important.
- A majority (54%) support a policy that reduces emissions efficiently and at the lowest cost, even if it is not 100% renewable energy, over one that prioritizes building renewable energy at greater expense.
Voters strongly oppose bailouts for struggling power plants and other policies that would increase their monthly bills.
- 58% oppose policies that allow utilities to increase monthly bills to build renewable energy, while 65% oppose policies that increase utility bills or taxes to prop up struggling power plants.
- Just 7% believe taxpayers and consumers, rather than power companies, should bear the burden of funding new and existing power plants.
Voters want to encourage competition to reduce costs and emissions.
- 77% want Congress to encourage competition to secure affordable renewable resources at the least cost.
- 74% want Congress to encourage competition among energy providers to reduce emissions at the least cost.
- 67% agree competitive markets will help achieve least-cost emissions reductions.
A brief note about methodology: this poll was conducted July 15-18 among a national sample of 1,999 registered voters. The interviews were conducted online and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample based on age, educational attainment, gender, 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 more than 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.
