Get Energy Smart! NOW!

According to the topline data from a recent poll, 89% of the Virginian poll respondents support “Renewable energy projects, such as solar and wind power” … 69% strongly.  The press release from the (self-proclaimed, astroturf) Consumer Energy Alliance (“a front group for the energy industry that opposes political efforts to regulate carbon”) somehow failed to mention this figure, something truly reflecting “consumer energy” preferences and desires, but instead focused on highlighting lesser and weaker support for projects like Keystone XL and Virginia pipelines. As to the Atlantic Coast pipeline, the CEA asserts that “Fifty-four percent support the project in Virginia.”  (Note that a poll last fall found overwhelming opposition among Virginians to this pipeline.) In another inexplicable piece of absent information, CEA didn’t highlight that just 20% of those are ‘strongly support’ (a drop of 5 points since their previous “poll”).

While CEA’s breathless press release has some misleading elements, leverages (skews?) the polling to (in essence) threaten politicians (in essence, in likely misreading of the material from this somewhat skew poll: politicians watch out: voters will punish you for not supporting polluting energy projects (without, of course, the polling discussing pollution and having wording supporting the polluting energy projects (somewhat)), and is uncertain as to its overall validity, lots of interesting items throughout:

• Yet another poll showing voters of all types STRONGLY support renewable energy projects.
• Neither candidate for Governor in the Democratic Primary shows over 50% name recognition.
• Dominion’s involvement doesn’t seem to change support for the Atlantic Coast Pipeline
• Support for coal-fired electricity has significantly fallen since a 2015 poll, with a significant increase in opposition to coal-fired electricity (including a 9 percent jump in ‘strongly oppose’).

In terms of true skewing of the situation, the poll has multiple elements that I — as someone focused on energy issues — wished were true but simply don’t pass ‘the sniff test’. Here is the starkest example:

At least 80 percent of voters in each state say [energy] issues are very or somewhat important in their voting decisions.

Really? Really? Does anyone think that “energy”, in a governor’s election in Virginia, will influence the voting choices of 80 percent of the voters in any meaningful way?

Looking ahead, how important are energy issues in terms of how you will vote in the Gubernatorial election this year?  Are they very important, somewhat important, not very important, or not important at all in determining how you will vote?