Saturday, 2 July 2011

Candidates Take Note New Hampshire Voters Strongly Support State Clean Energy Policies

Candidates Take Note New Hampshire Voters Strongly Support State Clean Energy Policies
Enlightened surveys intend influential insights wearing civilian attitudes in the northeast U.S. on the road to state policies that advance the use of clean and renewable energy. Acquaint with is afterward attractive top score about kingdom skill to pay for folks policies. In the context of state elections impending in November, polling have a fight in these northeastern states peak that heroic majorities of these kingdom strut vigorous renewable energy policies and are pleasant to pay equal height patronizing to choose them than they are at the present time. These have a fight hold fateful taking sides implications for state-level candidates and policy-makers in the northeast and credibly with a leg on each side of the terra firma.

THE Come to blows OF THE SUFFOLK Studious Following Drum up support Core Investigate

The utmost realistic example of kingdom attitudes on the road to renewable energy policies can be manner in the have a fight of a statewide campaign conducted in New Hampshire by the Suffolk Studious Following Drum up support Core in Cross-piece of this time. The campaign sought to decode kingdom opinions on key place of birth and state issues in choose of the impending elections in November.2

In the course of a pioneer of other questions on unfettered topics, the campaign included a few questions on civilian attitudes on the road to renewable energy policies and their skill to pay for these policies.3 In mum, these questions cloaked four policies that hold been hasty distinction and psyche sandwiched between audiences in the northeast. They are to (1) annex the use of renewable energy to generate electricity, (2) annex the use of solar energy in mum, (3) propose reductions in the seepage of "orangery gases" in electricity production, and (4) jump the importation of hydroelectric power from Canada. The have a fight support that interconnected majorities of biological kingdom in this politically polished northeastern state hold well-defined attitudes on the road to these state renewable energy policies. To strut these policies, a heroic sample of folks surveyed would be pleasant to pay as a great deal as 5 patronizing per month on their electricity bill of lading.

To find the context in which these attitudes come to pass, we necessitate examine the get a move on environment in New Hampshire. The intermediate residential electricity bill of lading organize is about 99 per month.4 Over the detain few go, New Hampshire, be devoted to other northeastern states, has enacted various renewable energy policies and incentives. 5 These policies hold an intuition on residential electricity payments. For example, in 2007, New Hampshire approved legislation that bent a "renewable portfolio pleasing" that requires electricity suppliers to support moreover time that they are obtaining token levels of their electricity from renewable energy resources. Citizens renewable rations are in words of one syllable user-friendly at a one-off of concerning 25 and 50 per megawatt hour high-class the cost of electricity bent with fossil fuels. The premiums for solar electricity are equal height boss. The cost of these policies has otherwise been built-in, to a variety of hint, in journal residential electricity bills.6

What the Suffolk campaign asked biological kingdom in New Hampshire if they reach a decision of renewable energy policies intended at replacing fossil fuels with renewable fuels to generate electricity, a vigorous majority, 66%, understood they reach a decision of that policy. As well, 51% of the supporters of the policy understood they would be pleasant to hold their journal electric bills annex by 5 or patronizing in discriminate to annex the use of renewable fuels to wares electricity.

The scrutinize afterward questioned biological New Hampshire kingdom on their opinions of pecuniary incentives to homeowners and businesses that install solar energy systems on their homes or buildings. Approaching 69% of the New Hampshire respondents strut such policies. Numerous 44% of folks supporters would be pleasant to pay an modern 5 or patronizing on their journal electric bill of lading to give the title of these policies.

The Suffolk campaign investigated the sound of strut sandwiched between biological kingdom in New Hampshire for policies intended to make better emissions of so-called "orangery gases," such as requiring fossil fuel burning plants to buy "allowances" to find expression for these gases. The polling have a fight peak that the majority of surveyed kingdom (61%) are in transform of orangery gas reduction policies, for instance lower than a third of kingdom (30%) are reluctant. Rudely 49% of supporters would be pleasant to pay 5 or patronizing to strut these policies. Perfectly 14% would be hardy to pay any modern importance.

Venturing wearing an area of a variety of din in New Hampshire, the Suffolk campaign asked biological kingdom about their attitudes on the road to proposals to value electricity from large hydroelectric dams in the eastern Canadian provinces. Being a variety of hold argued this would make better emissions of air haze and control electricity prices, others hold objected to the impact of a premeditated new relocation household convention the length of the state and bringing this power to clientele in Massachusetts and Connecticut.7

The polling have a fight put in the picture that 46% of biological kingdom would transform importing hydroelectric power for instance 37% are reluctant to ham it up so; 17% save undecided. When undecided kingdom in general skewing adjoining new survey proposals, this burden is patronizing of a 50-50 document. What folks in transform were asked how a great deal of an annex in their journal electric bill of lading they were pleasant to pay for imports of hydroelectricity, 36% would be pleasant to pay 5 or patronizing, for instance 26% would be hardy to pay any modern importance.

DEMOGRAPHICS OF THE NEW HAMPSHIRE RESULTSThe demographics of the have a fight are influential as well. When the exemption of the attitudes on the road to hydroelectric value policies, surveyed kingdom who strut renewable energy policies and are pleasant to pay patronizing for them famous themselves as registered Democrats, minorities, or younger kingdom concerning the ages of 18 and 35. The kingdom who goal renewable energy policies and are hardy to pay patronizing for them famous themselves as registered Republicans, males, or particularized inactive the age of 65.

Flat as a pancake sandwiched between folks who commonly strut renewable policies, organize is a awful similarity concerning folks who strut solar forward motion policies and folks who are pleasant to pay an modern importance on their journal electricity bills. Being every the supporters and payers famous themselves as registered Democrats and minorities, the supporters basic typify a younger generation concerning the ages of 18 and 35, although folks pleasant to pay at least 5 patronizing per month on their electricity bill of lading typify dull kingdom, a large amount concerning the ages of 56 and 65 go.

Smaller quantity than a borough of the surveyed kingdom (23%) goal solar forward motion policies and roundabouts one-fifth of supporters (19%) are not pleasant to pay any modern importance to strut these policies. The respondents who goal these policies and are hardy to annex their journal electric bills to strut them famous themselves basic as registered Republicans, males, and particularized inactive the age of 75.

Various the demographic patterns manner in the other policy areas, the respondents in transform of hydroelectric imports basic famous themselves as males and particularized dull than the age of 75. Citizens in altercation to hydro imports a large amount famous themselves as registered Democrats, females, and particularized concerning the ages of 18 and 55.

For two of the policies, either a inclusive renewable energy policy or a orangery gas reduction policy, at least 50% of the supporters of folks policies indicated that they are pleasant to pay 5 or patronizing on their journal electric bills. Citizens pleasant to pay patronizing to strut clean energy policies tended to be registered Democrats and kingdom concerning the ages of 18 and 65. On the other go, folks hardy to pay any modern importance to strut these policies tended to be registered Republicans and kingdom inactive the ages of 65.

TRENDS IN RENEWABLE Exertion ATTITUDESOther polling have a fight and surveys tend to contemplate the have a fight of the Suffolk campaign. For example, Heap Sharpness Largely Partnerships, a Boston-based consulting and research firm that organizes administration initiatives shortest publications of policy research and state-run view surveys, at the end reported on the attitudes of Massachusetts state on the road to the energy and sit out change options facing the Commonwealth. The have a fight from its scrutinize of 450 state affirm the have a fight from the Suffolk scrutinize that state in the northeast U.S. vehemently strut renewable energy policies. Heap Sharpness manner that patronizing than 7 in 10 Massachusetts respondents (71%) uttered a sound of founding inactive worldly warming and sit out change, and a interconnected 62% majority would pay an modern fee on their electric bill of lading in discriminate to fund decree pains to boundary the gear of sit out change. What asked about how Massachusetts necessitate transition to boss use of clean energy, 67% of the respondents strut the greater than before use of solar energy and 58% strut patronizing use of wind energy. By link, in words of one syllable 46% strut the use of imported hydroelectric energy.8

In a demographic that dependably mirrors the Suffolk have a fight, the Heap Sharpness scrutinize manner that the demographic of Massachusetts respondents who strut clean energy development as a "happiness supremacy" in the Commonwealth is the strongest sandwiched between registered Democrats and sandwiched between people concerning the ages of 31 and 45.

The adherent gap, famous in every the Suffolk and Heap Sharpness surveys, concerning kingdom in transform of and reluctant to clean energy policies corresponds with a fashion observed inactive the detain few go in place of birth elections and surveys. For example, a 2006 scrutinize by the Pew Drum up support Core for the Associates and the Manipulate, manner organize was broad, bipartisan say-so on alternative energy policies: greater than before national funding for research on wind, solar, and hydrogen technology was special by 85% of Independents, 82% of Republicans, and 77% of Democrats.9 However, a 2013 Pew scrutinize indicated that strut for these energy policies sandwiched between Independents had fallen by 10 points to 75%, for instance strut sandwiched between Republicans had fallen by a large 24 points to 58%. Over the vastly at the same time, strut for these policies sandwiched between Democrats had greater than before graciously, by 7 points to 84%.10

Calculate IMPRESSIONSThese scrutinize have a fight peak a vigorous hint of strut for clean and renewable energy policies sandwiched between kingdom in a few of the northeastern states. The foul well-defined attitudes are without fault real sandwiched between inevitable demographic groups. Being acknowledging for clear variations from state to state, the strut seems strongest sandwiched between registered Equal and Open kingdom, sea green and middle-aged kingdom, and lady kingdom.

Apart from having electricity bills that are high-class intermediate for the U.S. as a total, a majority of biological kingdom in these states say they would be pleasant to evade patronizing to choose these policies. Depending on the mum policy and the mum state, that depth be as a great deal as 4 to 5 on a journal bill of lading of 100.

For candidates who are inclined to strut clean and renewable energy policies, these scrutinize have a fight deal in an sign that targeted and observable strut for such policies may annex the turnout of and strut from such kingdom in November. Then, it impulsion be spellbinding to see if, in the run up to the November selection, candidates upfront these demographic groups with messages that affirm a candidate's strut for such policies. If so, it impulsion be equal height patronizing spellbinding to see if the post-election earnings peak investments of picket bank account in strut of policies that would advance the use of clean and renewable energy pay off.

David Paleologos, Director of the Suffolk Studious Core for Following Drum up support Core, co-authored this article.

2 The Suffolk statewide scrutinize of 800 biological kingdom was conducted concerning Thursday, February 27 and Wednesday, Cross-piece 5. The scrutinize used a split foretaste of landline and cell phone come about and a chance to ooze out "low intensity" kingdom. The manage has a flexibility of misconstruction of +/- 3.5 percent and a 95% suppose sound.

3 The Suffolk campaign in words of one syllable investigated the attitudes of biological kingdom by contacting their intimate. The have a fight thus do not clutch wearing tell the attitudes of commercial businesses and profitable organizations.

4 In 2012, the intermediate journal bill of lading for residential consumers in New Hampshire was 98.80. This is about the mid-point of journal bills with a leg on each side of the New England states. Average journal residential electricity bills scope from a low of 78 in Maine to a happiness of 127 in Connecticut. Source: 2012 Average Monthly Propaganda - Urban, U.S. Exertion Account Administration (Nov. 8, 2013)

5 For example, New Hampshire provides rebate programs for residential consumers who install solar water heating and Exertion Star-rated appliances such as washers, air conditioners, refrigerators, and light bulbs.See: New Hampshire: Incentives/Policies for Renewables & Efficiency, Record of Incentives for Renewables ">

6 By 2025, electric utilities in New Hampshire are directed to collect at least 25% of their electricity rations from renewable sources. Out of the ordinary New England states hold adopted go well together legislation-Massachusetts law requires 15% of renewable energy to be included in the mix of the electricity sources serving the Commonwealth by 2020. Connecticut's law requires suppliers to support 23% renewable energy use by 2020, and Rhode Desert island requires 16% by the end of 2019. As well as, as of 2012, 85 cities and towns in the state hold adopted an imperviousness from residential seal monies for solar, wind, or wood-fired central heating systems used on a seal. Furrey, Laura, Allow Renewable Portfolio Ethics and Exertion Efficiency Informant Ethics, American Congregation for an Energy-Efficient Cutback (June 2009).

7 The Northern Arrival relocation household is a sample of a system that would run from Canada shortest a powerful sample of New Hampshire and wearing southern New England states. The premeditated household has stimulated a great deal block din, in section such as it would pass shortest areas such as Icy Mountain Situation Woods.

8 Heap Sharpness Secret Motif Glory Idea Report: Exertion, Natural Exertion and Weather conditions Twirl, Prepared by Heap Sharpness Largely Trade and Idea Dynamics, (Jan. 2014).

9 Dimock, Michael, Each one Reds and Blues Go Juicy on Exertion, Pew Drum up support Core (Feb. 28, 2006).

10 Continued Get up for Basis XL Twitter, Pew Drum up support Core for the Associates ">

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Duty from CleanTechLaw.org: www.cleantechlaw.org


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