Poll: Arizona voters believe renewable energy should be state priority

PHOENIX — A poll conducted by the Arizona PIRG Education Fund found that nearly 90 percent of likely Arizona voters believe the growth and use of renewable energy should be a priority for the state.

The organization polled 504 likely voters in the state over the phone Jan. 6-8, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.

“We found overall that Arizonans want to see a broad, well-formulated plan to help grow our economy and keep electricity rates reasonable while also unlocking the potential of energy efficiency, electric vehicles and renewable energy to help create jobs and also bring prosperity to our state,” Diane Brown, executive director of the Arizona PIRG Education Fund, told KTAR News 92.3 FM last week.

Brown said Arizonans didn’t just support one facet of renewable energy — the majority of poll respondents supported actions like investing in electric vehicles and regulating utilities to increase energy efficiency.

Energy efficiency is a cost-saver for Arizonans. Using less energy means lower utility bills, and most Arizonans polled agree utilities should ensure efficiency programs are widely available. @corpcommaz @rburnsazt @Andy_Tobin @BoydDunnAZ @_JustinOlson @SandraDKennedy @SRPconnect pic.twitter.com/Jxr9VnENM0

— Arizona PIRG (@ArizonaPIRG) February 14, 2019

“Across the board, no matter the party affiliation, the age, people want to see all of those energy sources become cleaner as we move into the future,” she said.

Brown said the poll asked why respondents thought it was important to support energy efficiency.

“People said everything from saving money and reducing utility bills, to helping and preserving the economy, to improving air quality,” she said.

The survey also found that 64 percent of likely Arizona voters agree that if the federal government fails to address climate change, the state government should step in.

“On the question of climate change, people across the board thought that it had an effect on the drought, on agriculture, on the state’s financial health, public health (and) future generations,” Brown said.

“The bottom line is that Arizonans are united across the board when it comes to moving toward a cleaner energy future.”

KTAR News 92.3 FM’s Ali Vetnar contributed to this report.