Warming a top issue in 2nd District
U.S. survey targets some constituents of House energy panel
The poll, sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council, was carried out in six congressional districts across the country, all of which have Democratic congressmen on the House of Representatives' Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, is a member of the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality. Poll sponsors said they targeted districts held by conservative and moderate Democrats.
According to the NRDC, based in New York City, the polling company Harstad Strategic Research interviewed about 400 voters in each of the districts. The districts were in Utah, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Louisiana, Georgia and Texas.
In Utah's 2nd District, more voters said global warming was the top environmental problem than any other environmental issue, the poll found. A total of 63 percent said global warming is an extremely, very or fairly serious problem, while 34 percent said it was only somewhat or not at all serious.
More than two-thirds said global warming is already happening or will happen within their lifetimes. A majority, 57 percent, favored a carbon cap and trade proposal to reduce pollution, and most think the permits should be sold rather than given away.
These are to provide incentives for people to use solar energy, better insulation and more efficient appliances (92 percent in favor); require manufactures to make appliances more energy efficient (89 percent); require tougher emission standards on vehicles and increase fuel efficiency to 35 miles per gallon within a decade (86 percent), and require oil companies to increase use of biofuels (71 percent).
Voters in the five other states also "strongly support measures to reduce global warming," the NRDC said in a press release.
During a telephone news conference on Monday, David Tuft of NRDC said the Energy and Commerce Committee will be taking up a global warming policy bill in the fall.
"We feel like these are bellwether districts for where the Congress will be headed in the fall," he added.
Paul Harstad of the polling firm said voters volunteered the fact that they thought global warming was the No.1 environmental problem. "We asked them up front, without any biasing information, what is the top environmental problem these days?" he said.
In the 2nd District, the answer was: global warming or carbon emissions, chosen by 42 percent; air pollution or clean air came in second at 39 percent; and water pollution or clean water was third, with 25 percent naming it as the top environmental issue.
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