Clear Majority of Coastal North Easterners Support Environmentally Sound Energy Exploration

Clear Majority of Coastal North Easterners Support Environmentally Sound Energy Exploration and Production

While Americans Continue to Call for More American Energy, Out-of-the Mainstream Washington Politicians Say ‘No We Can’t’

Washington, DC – Following the release of a Monmouth University poll that found a clear majority of support for offshore domestic energy exploration and production from coastal residents in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, Thomas J. Pyle, president of the American Energy Alliance (AEA), issued this statement:

“While our economy continues to struggle and working-class families and small business owners are being forced to tighten their budgets, out-of-step Washington politicians are working to make American energy less accessible and affordable. In any economy, good or bad, actively working to make energy more expensive is a job killer.

“This poll is just another reminder that the American people understand far better than Washington politicians that more domestic energy will help create well-paying jobs and bring down the cost of energy.”

According to the Associated Press, “the telephone poll questioned 1,006 coastal residents of New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia from April 21-28. It has a sampling error margin of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.”

NOTE: Click HERE to view the results of this poll online. Key finding: “On the question of drilling for oil or gas, 46% of coastal residents now support this – up from 33% in 2007 – compared to 37% who are opposed… .”

According to a economic analysis released earlier this year, offshore energy exploration and production would generate:

• $8 trillion in additional economic output (GDP);
• $2.2 trillion in total tax receipts;
• 1.2 million new, well-paying jobs annually across the country; and
• $70 billion in additional wages each year.

The American Energy Alliance (AEA) is a not-for-profit organization that engages in public policy advocacy and debate surrounding the function, operation, and government regulation of global energy markets. AEA, an affiliate of the Institute for Energy Research, works to educate and mobilize citizens around the idea that freely-functioning energy markets provide the most efficient and effective solutions to today’s global energy and environmental challenges.

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