Arizonans see opportunity in renewable energy and think government at all levels should respond to climate change.
Those are the findings in a poll released Thursday by the Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund. It showed that nearly 90 percent of likely Arizona voters believe the expansion and use of renewable energy like solar and wind should be a state priority. Eight in ten say the state should limit the importation of fossil fuels like natural gas and oil in favor of developing its own energy resources.
The statewide poll was conducted by WPA Intelligence, a conservative polling firm out of Washington, D.C. at the direction of Arizona PIRG.
Diane Brown, executive director, says the choice of WPA was intentional. She tells KAWC the well-respected firm had experience in the state of Arizona working for conservative clients. “We believed that they were best suited to understand our state and get at some of the findings in a way that would be understandable to policy-makers and the general public,” Brown says.
Hear part of our conversation with Brown below:
Full poll results can be found HERE. Key Findings include:
Renewable Energy
82% of respondents say very, or somewhat important that the state develop its own clean energy sources like wind and solar.
Energy Efficiency
68% say regulations applied to utility providers, such as Arizona Public Service, Tucson Electric Power, UNS Energy Corporation, or Salt River Project should be increased to ensure they are offering energy efficiency to all their customers.
Electric Vehicles
57% support investment by utility providers in electric vehicle charging infrastructure acroos the state. Particularly in underserved communities, such as highway corridors or rural areas, or in areas where the private sector is unlikely to serve or invest.
Navajo Generating Station
83% say it is very, or somewhat, important that the owners of the Navajo Generating Station provide financial assistance and support, such as job training, to communities impacted by the closing of the plant. The Navajo Generating Station is scheduled to end operations by December.
Climate Change
64% think that if the federal government fails to address the issue of climate change, state and local governments have a responsibility to address the problem.
The study has a margin of error of +/- 4.4%. Fifty-four percent (54%) of interviews were fielded via landline, while forty-four percent (44%) from mobile phones.