With election day just weeks away, new data shows energy costs continue to be a pivotal issue for voters in key battleground states.
According to a recent poll conducted by Morning Consult on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute (API), it was revealed that nearly nine in 10 voters in Pennsylvania and six other key battleground states are looking for details from presidential candidates on energy issues.
New polling from @morningconsult shows Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all agree – producing more oil and natural gas here in the U.S. helps make our country more secure and can help bring down costs for American consumers. https://t.co/EIHYVJ8JfP pic.twitter.com/fbG95XPHqE
— American Petroleum Institute (@APIenergy) October 2, 2024
The data show that 80 percent voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin believe that increasing U.S. oil and natural gas production would lower energy costs and enhance national security. Majorities in the poll also oppose government mandates that restrict consumer choice, such as bans on new gasoline and hybrid vehicles.
As API Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy Officer Amanda Eversole said:
“American energy should be a bipartisan rallying point. U.S. oil and natural gas production plays a critical role in fueling our economy and can help curb inflation while strengthening national security and protecting our allies around the world.”
Specifically, the poll found that 90 percent of voters are concerned about inflation as are most Americans, and 86 percent of those surveyed believe producing more U.S. natural gas and oil would help keep energy costs for consumers at bay. Understanding the infrastructure needs to continue delivering these gains, 82 percent of voters surveyed support fixing our broken permitting system to streamline the process of approving energy infrastructure projects.
Energy Producers Express Concern About Uncertain LNG Stance From Vice President Kamala Harris
Morning Consult’s findings come against the backdrop of increased uncertainty for energy workers in key swing states like “must win Pennsylvania.” Home to 19 critical electoral college votes, the race to the White House cuts right through the Commonwealth, America’s second largest natural gas producing state. Given this, it’s no surprise the Commonwealth’s energy producers and policymakers on both sides of the aisle have expressed frustration over the Biden administration’s freeze on new liquefied natural gas (LNG) export permits, a policy Vice President Kamala Harris still has yet to explicitly address with just over a month to go until election day.
As API Pennsylvania Executive Director Stephanie Catarino Wissman explained:
“The natural gas and oil produced here in Pennsylvania is playing a critical role in fueling our economy while helping to ensure the U.S. can continue to serve as the world’s energy leader and a stabilizing force at a time of geopolitical turmoil. As we approach Election Day, voters deserve to know where candidates stand not only on fracking, but on the policies needed to secure America’s hard-earned energy advantage for decades to come.”
This sentiment was a prevailing topic at the Marcellus Shale Coalition’s annual Shale Insight conference in September. As Reuters reports:
“Drillers in energy-rich Pennsylvania this week called on Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris to detail her position on natural gas…Reuters talked to a dozen natural gas and drilling executives who attended the conference, all of whom said they are still guessing about Harris’s energy policy.”
Rob Boulware, Director of Stakeholder Relations for Seneca Resources, noted that “strategic ambiguity” on energy policy is leaving voters and businesses in limbo, saying:
“We need more details. The public deserves to know what her position is on these matters prior to the election because, ultimately, they are the ones who will be impacted.”
Meanwhile, EQT CEO Toby Rice called for an end to political interference:
“How can we have tremendous energy resources under our feet, but energy bills in this country are going up 35 percent? These bizarre things are happening in energy because political force has overwhelmed market forces.”
And at the Gastech conference in Houston earlier this month, ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance urged the Biden administration to end what he called a “crazy LNG permit pause” and pave the way for more U.S. energy exports. With global LNG demand surging – driven in part by Europe’s quest to reduce dependence on Russian energy – U.S. exports have become a key component of international energy security.
Harris’s campaign has suggested that the VP’s stance on LNG will be guided by the Department of Energy’s ongoing review. However, the Biden administration is currently stonewalling in court over documents that may indicate an environmental review had already begun or was completed prior the administration freezing export permits earlier this year.
Bottom line: Energy security is a growing concern domestically, as well as abroad, and residents in swing states are eager to learn where presidential candidates stand on energy policy. Especially when speaking to Pennsylvanians, where support for natural gas cuts through partisan divides, candidates should be crystal clear on how they envision our energy future. As API’s Amanda Eversole said:
“Voters deserve to know where candidates stand on the issues that will shape America’s energy future. As the 2024 election draws near, the stakes for energy policy—and the potential impact on American consumers—could not be higher.”
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