Poll – Keystone XL Pummeled by Clean Energy

National Wildlife Federation released results of a Zogby commissioned poll covering several climate and energy issues.  The poll, done just after the election, finds support for Keystone XL was dwarfed by voters’ desire for expanded renewable energy investments. Support for Keystone barely broke out of the single digits.

With protests this weekend against Keystone XL in the nation’s capital, the poll shows that the President has a mandate to fight climate disruption. Keystone XL takes the fight to slow climate change in the wrong direction.

Here’s the two key Zogby findings:

Support for dirty fuel from Keystone XL is dwarfed by support for clean energy. Last year, thousands protested at the White House to urge the Administration to abandon Keystone XL. Another action is set for this weekend in Washington, DC.
  • Asked to pick the highest priority to help solve America’s energy challenges, twice as many voters select renewable energy like wind and solar power (38 percent) than any other choice. Independents favor wind and solar over fossil fuels by a 4-to-1 margin – 48 percent pick renewable energy while just 12 percent select the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline and only 11 percent prioritize more oil and gas drilling on America’s public lands.
  • Voters also expressed frustration with polluter influence peddling. Two thirds of voters (67 percent) say they’re very or somewhat concerned that political donations by oil, gas and coal industries are influencing politicians in Washington to approve policies that benefit their corporations.

That’s right folks, Keystone XL barely gets out of single digits, while support for clean renewable energy is two to four times higher.

The Keystone XL carbon bomb has been said to be the pollution equivalent of putting six  million additional cars on the road. The pipeline is designed to carry tar sands, a dirty heavy oil that is far more polluting. At a time when President Obama says need to be reducing carbon pollution, Keystone XL takes us exactly in the wrong direction.

The poll of 1,016 actual voters was conducted on November 7 and has a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.

Superstorm Sandy a Wake Up Call

Hurricane Sandy couldn’t have made it clearer that society will continue to pay a high price for gorging on carbon. After a summer’s worth of unprecedented devastating heat and weather related events that will costs billions, Sandy’s the latest high priced  wake up call from Mother Nature, estimated to cost us tens of billions.  Economically, we cannot afford to further accelerate the already alarming pace of debilitating weather events.  Morally, we cannot leave our children an inhospitable world.

You cannot build Keystone XL and be serious about addressing climate change.  The math doesn’t add up. EPA says the lifetime carbon pollution emissions would be over 1 billion tons, and another estimate says it’s the equivalent of putting six million additional cars on the road.

The Keystone XL pipeline presents a choice. Get serious about climate, or double down on high carbon tars sands for decades.  A final denial of the project would send a clear signal that we are turning away from climate calamity and towards a clean energy future.  Allowing it would further ignite the climate bomb.  The American public is demanding climate action and rejecting the fossil fuel industry’s well financed plea for business as usual.  It is time for the Obama Administration to say no to Keystone XL and yes to a clean energy future for our children.