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NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:13 PM Jul 2021

THIRD WAY: Americans Support Federal Action to Reach a 100% Clean Energy Grid

https://www.thirdway.org/memo/americans-support-federal-action-to-reach-a-100-clean-energy-grid

Americans Support Federal Action to Reach a 100% Clean Energy Grid

Voters across the country in both blue and red states support the federal government moving the country to 100% clean electricity, according to new polling from Third Way, in partnership with University of California, Santa Barbara political scientist Matto Mildenberger and using underlying data from Data for Progress national surveys. The polling estimates support from likely voters in every congressional district and state in America. It demonstrates that the majority of voters in all 50 states—and all but six of the 435 US congressional districts—endorse federal action to reach a 100% clean energy grid.

President Biden and Congress must now capitalize on this support and use this window of opportunity to pass a Clean Electricity Standard (CES) or similar policy that can transition the US to 100% clean electricity.

To see where voters support federal action to move the country to 100% clean electricity by 2035, explore the map below, where you can toggle between a state level map and a map of congressional districts.


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NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
1. Polling Result Highlights: Widespread Support for 100% Clean Energy by 2035
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:19 PM
Jul 2021
Polling Result Highlights: Widespread Support for 100% Clean Energy by 2035

The results are overwhelmingly positive: across the country, Americans think favorably of clean energy and share an interest in federal action to move the country toward 100% clean electricity by 2035.

There is considerable support from swing states that are targets for the 2022 midterms, like Arizona (62%), Georgia (60.8%), and Pennsylvania (64%).

Clean energy is even popular in traditional fossil fuel states and Republican strongholds. Support for moving to 100% clean electricity by 2035 breaks 60% in states like Texas (60.8%), Indiana (60.1%), and Iowa (62%), with other traditionally red states like Missouri (59.9%), Mississippi (59.3% ) and Alabama (58.5%) not far behind.

Meanwhile, support for clean energy in blue states like California and Hawaii soars upward of 73%.
 

Budi

(15,325 posts)
2. This a professionally written & well sourced site.
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:24 PM
Jul 2021

Fact based rather than biased sensationalism.

About time we see legit sources to refer to.

Thanks, NurseJackie

NurseJackie

(42,862 posts)
3. I agree. I understand it's a bit of a "trigger" for people who hate Democrats...
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:30 PM
Jul 2021

... and the Democratic party. But, oh well. Ya can't please everyone.

Fact based rather than biased sensationalism.
I completely agree. We definitely need more of that these days. It's the extremists at the far ends of the political spectrum who are typically the ones that cause the biggest problems. For example: just look at Trump's wackos.

In any case, that's pretty much the nature of politics, isn't it. Progress is made by finding common ground... looking for areas of compromise and common interest... and understanding that nobody gets EVERYTHING that they want. Give and take.

In the end, some progress is better than no progress. And slow progress is still progress... and much better than maintaining the status quo (ie: getting NOTHING done) all in the name of vanity and pride and stubbornness.

All I'm trying to say is that if my choice is a half-loaf or NO loaf... I'll take the half-loaf, please. Even if I get the half-loaf a single slice at a time, it's still SOMETHING. That's reasonable, right?
 

Budi

(15,325 posts)
4. Yup. Progress without populism & slander
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:36 PM
Jul 2021

Joe Biden is not a bowl of shit
Kamala Harris is not a seat filler
James Clyborn is not stupid

Unity is progress, sour bitter divisive illiteracy is NOT progress.

George II

(67,782 posts)
5. Interesting. Change the darker greens to blue and palest greens to red, and you've got the 2020.....
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 12:44 PM
Jul 2021

....Electoral College map.

Which would be better, "100% Clean Energy Grid" or "Green New Deal"?

hunter

(38,264 posts)
6. Well, it would be nice if Santa Claus was real as well...
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 01:45 PM
Jul 2021

A fossil fuel free economy powered entirely by wind and solar power would look nothing like the consumer economy many affluent people now enjoy, for the very simple reason the sun isn't always shining and the wind isn't always blowing, even over large areas covered by technologically feasible electric grids.

There would be days or weeks when there wasn't enough power available to do ordinary things like running an air conditioner or a washing machine.

Even with a massive expansion of expensive batteries and pumped storage hydroelectric, both of which have severe environmental impacts, there could never be enough storage to fill all the gaps between supply and demand, even with "smart" grids and electric appliances.

Typically natural gas is burned as "backup" power in most renewable energy schemes. Even in a fully built out renewable grid, one where adding more wind turbines and solar panels only creates a useless surplus of electricity, natural gas provides 40% to 50% of the total energy. That's not really backup power, nor is it enough of a reduction to "save the world."

There's more than enough natural gas in the ground to destroy the earth's natural environment as we know it. If everybody is using hybrid wind-solar-gas energy systems then the world's natural environment will be destroyed.

This is one of those cases where "better than nothing" is just as good as nothing. The end result is still the same. This world civilization still dies sooner, rather than later.

I've always compared the problem to smoking. To quit smoking, you quit smoking. If you have a pack a day habit and you cut down by vaping on your breaks at work you still haven't quit smoking. To quit fossil fuels you have to quit fossil fuels.

Unfortunately, as the human population approaches 8 billion people, I don't think we can feed or comfortably house everyone at a decent standard of living without concentrated energy sources.

I used to be an aggressive anti-nuclear activist. I've changed my mind.

Seeing wind turbines scarring hill tops and ocean vistas, or solar energy panels on previously undeveloped land (especially ecologically fragile deserts) does not give me the warm fuzzies. These things are utterly vile and useless. I'd rather live near a modern nuclear plant.

"Renewable energy" schemes in places like California, Germany, and Denmark are a failure. These places have increased their long term dependence on natural gas. It's so bad in Germany they are still mining coal and are making themselves more dependent on Russian natural gas which will probably have grave political and environmental consequences in the near future, if it hasn't already.

France embraced nuclear power and was able to close its last coal mine twenty years ago.

I live in California. 41% of my electricity is coming from natural gas as I write this. That's not reflecting any shortage of solar or wind power, but an unusually long streak of hot weather and the impact of drought on hydroelectric generation. It's already 90F in California's Central Valley, expected to be over 100F. The air conditioners are running and they are powered by gas.

On better days 85% of my electricity is "fossil fuel free," and that 15% reflects gas plants that are kept running to pick up the load in case of any unexpected drop-outs.

DFW

(54,050 posts)
7. Al Gore once said we could supply ALL of the country's electricity needs
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 01:51 PM
Jul 2021

Just build a 100 mile square solar grid in the middle of the Arizona desert. Obviously, it would need high maintenance and a lot of wind/oil back-up in the case of sabotage or a missile attack, but this is what he said back in 2008. I suppose that with the advances made since then, the grid could be even smaller. Not that the fossil fuel producing states would ever let it happen, of course..........

Midnight Writer

(21,546 posts)
8. I live in one of the six Congressional Districts that is agin all this new-fangled malarkey.
Sat Jul 31, 2021, 02:18 PM
Jul 2021

My precinct went 75% for Trump, has less than a 30% vaccination rate, and is represented by a Hitler-quoting hate monger.

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