Pasadena Star News
By: Cynthia Kurtz
Posted: 8/13/2014
The Public Policy Institute of California - a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank - just released its July 2014 survey on the environment. PPIC has been surveying California residents since 1998 on a variety of public policy issues. Through their work, policy makers are able to gage likely voter’s positions on important issues. Survey questions are repeated from year to year allowing readers to see how opinions change over time.
Over two-thirds - actually 68 percent of the state’s adults support AB 32 - the law requiring California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. But this is 10 percent lower than at the peak of the law’s popularity in 2007.
When considering how to meet these new emission requirements, three out of four adults favor stricter emissions on power plants. Similarly, 76 percent favor requiring oil companies to produce fuels with lower emissions unless producing those lower emission fuels would mean an increase in gas prices. Then, the support for lower emission fuels drops to 39 percent with 57 percent opposing.
This is a particularly interesting finding since a new fuel tax increase of between 16 cents and 76 cents is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2015. It is part of the implementation of AB 32. Currently, the state legislature is considering AB 69 (Perea) that would delay implementation of the increase for three years but Sacramento insiders are predicting that the bill will stall in committee without ever receiving a floor vote.
There is also strong support for requiring automakers to improve fuel efficiency - 85 percent of adults and 79 percent of likely voters support. And there is strong opposition to building more power plants - 64 percent of adults and 56 percent of likely voters oppose. Support for nuclear power use to be stronger but started to decline after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan.
Increasing federal funding for developing wind, solar and hydrogen is strong - 78 percent of all adults and 73 percent of likely voters say yes. Requiring that one-third of the state’s electricity come from these renewable sources is also popular among adults (76 percent favor) and likely voters (73 percent favor) unless it means an increase in power bills. Then support drops to 40 percent with 50 percent opposing
Clearly most Californians want to be good stewards of the environment. But paying for it is a different matter. If someone else, such as business or government, is required to foot the bill, then support is strong. But when the cost shifts directly to consumers, popularity drops dramatically.
The flaw in this thinking is that consumers pay regardless. We pay in taxes or in the cost of products and services. Making a direct connection between cost and benefit would provide a better way to set priorities on what environmental policies we want and what we are willing to pay.
By: Cynthia Kurtz
Posted: 8/13/2014
The Public Policy Institute of California - a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank - just released its July 2014 survey on the environment. PPIC has been surveying California residents since 1998 on a variety of public policy issues. Through their work, policy makers are able to gage likely voter’s positions on important issues. Survey questions are repeated from year to year allowing readers to see how opinions change over time.
Over two-thirds - actually 68 percent of the state’s adults support AB 32 - the law requiring California to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. But this is 10 percent lower than at the peak of the law’s popularity in 2007.
When considering how to meet these new emission requirements, three out of four adults favor stricter emissions on power plants. Similarly, 76 percent favor requiring oil companies to produce fuels with lower emissions unless producing those lower emission fuels would mean an increase in gas prices. Then, the support for lower emission fuels drops to 39 percent with 57 percent opposing.
This is a particularly interesting finding since a new fuel tax increase of between 16 cents and 76 cents is scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2015. It is part of the implementation of AB 32. Currently, the state legislature is considering AB 69 (Perea) that would delay implementation of the increase for three years but Sacramento insiders are predicting that the bill will stall in committee without ever receiving a floor vote.
There is also strong support for requiring automakers to improve fuel efficiency - 85 percent of adults and 79 percent of likely voters support. And there is strong opposition to building more power plants - 64 percent of adults and 56 percent of likely voters oppose. Support for nuclear power use to be stronger but started to decline after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan.
Increasing federal funding for developing wind, solar and hydrogen is strong - 78 percent of all adults and 73 percent of likely voters say yes. Requiring that one-third of the state’s electricity come from these renewable sources is also popular among adults (76 percent favor) and likely voters (73 percent favor) unless it means an increase in power bills. Then support drops to 40 percent with 50 percent opposing
Clearly most Californians want to be good stewards of the environment. But paying for it is a different matter. If someone else, such as business or government, is required to foot the bill, then support is strong. But when the cost shifts directly to consumers, popularity drops dramatically.
The flaw in this thinking is that consumers pay regardless. We pay in taxes or in the cost of products and services. Making a direct connection between cost and benefit would provide a better way to set priorities on what environmental policies we want and what we are willing to pay.
