Issue: Energy Policy

This post includes a roundup of climate + environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from this week’s public polls – including new polling on the Build Back Better plan, a new report on politics and global warming perceptions from Yale and George Mason, new polls about extreme weather and methane rules, and a summary deck of key messaging and insights from recent climate and clean energy polling.
HEADLINES

Navigator – Fairer taxes, lower prescription drug prices, and expanded Medicare coverage are key rationales for voters to support the Build Back Better plan; most also believe that the bill’s clean energy policies will help people like them (Release, Deck, Topline)
Vox/Data for Progress – Voters continue to support the Build Back Better plan by a two-to-one margin after a brief explanation; majorities also support the CEPP and resist arguments to cut clean energy performance goals from the bill (Article, Topline)
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication & George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication – Global warming has risen as a priority throughout the electorate since the beginning of the year; specific policies to boost renewables, incentivize energy efficiency, and conserve lands and waters have cross-partisan support (Article, Report)
Pew – Two-thirds of Americans perceive a rise in extreme weather; nearly half recall extreme weather in their own area over the past 12 months (Article, Topline)
Environmental Defense Action Fund – New rules to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry have broad public backing, and communicating about new jobs in methane mitigation can enhance support (Memo)
Global Strategy Group – Top messages in favor of climate action and clean energy focus on health, future generations, and rebuilding an economy that works for all Americans (Deck)

The Build Back Better plan has majority support in key congressional swing districts, and ‘polluters pay’ laws and renewable energy investments are especially popular. These district-specific polls show that the Build Back Better plan has majority support in two very tough Democratic-held congressional districts. After reading a brief description that outlines the price tag and major provisions, Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux’s constituents in GA-07 support the plan by a 54%-44% margin and Rep. Abigail Spanberger’s constituents in VA-07 support it by a 53%-44% margin. Specific clean energy provisions poll even higher, as voters in GA-07 support measures to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy by a 64%-33% margin and voters in VA-07 support these measures by a 62%-34% margin. One finding from these polls that is broadly applicable regardless of the location you focus on is the salience of corporate accountability on climate change. When presented with the idea of reinstating ‘polluters pay’ laws to “require corporate polluters to fund the clean up of their industry’s toxic pollution and set a fee on oil and gas companies that emit methane,” voters back the idea by overwhelming margins in both GA-07 (72% support / 26% oppose) and VA-07 (68% support / 27% oppose).