According to a survey our firm conducted last July, voters say that dependence on foreign sources of energy is the single greatest challenge to the U.S. economy over the next 20 years. Moreover, they say the U.S. needs to decrease the percent of energy that it gets from fossil fuels, and that the U.S. should take steps to reduce CO2 emissions.
Voters believe a carbon-cap is an effective step towards addressing all three of these concerns, provided it focuses on economic incentives, rather than just government mandates. When presented with a carbon-cap proposal that would give companies an economic incentive to reduce emissions, voters support it by a 58 to 30 percent margin, including margins of 59 to 29 percent among Republicans, 54 to 33 percent among independents, and 62 to 27 percent among Democrats.
The most compelling arguments in favor of a carbon cap are those that stress the ways in which it would make the U.S. more competitive, innovative, and less dependent on foreign sources of energy. These arguments are strong among voters regardless of party affiliation, presenting a real opportunity for a bi-partisan solution to this challenge.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 21st, 2006 at 3:57 pm and is filed under Cap and Trade, Oil and Gas . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
