DFP’s newsletter of our latest polls, memos, and memes. 

View this email in your browser. ([link removed])

It’s the Willow Project, stupid.

No, it’s not the code name of some new, untitled Willow Smith sitcom. It’s actually something much, much worse. If you haven’t heard, the Willow Project is a controversial oil and gas drilling project on public lands in Alaska that was first approved by our now-indicted former president in 2020.

In general, anything approved by the Trump Administration probably isn’t the brightest of ideas, especially when it comes to the environment. The project has faced legal challenges from environmental groups, who claim ([link removed]) that the greenhouse gas emissions from the drilling will affect the survival of the ice-dependent species in the region. Haven’t the polar bears been through enough!?!

Data for Progress and Fossil Free Media find ([link removed]) 56 percent of voters prefer energy projects on federal lands to be clean energy projects, such as wind turbines or solar power farms, something the Willow project decidedly is not.

[link removed]

Voters clearly support transitioning to clean energy projects on public lands, and the Willow Project is an unfortunate step backwards towards oil and gas drilling. Quite frankly Joe, you kinda gaslit us and this is why we have trust issues. If you keep this up and approve more oil and gas drilling projects, the federal government can foot our therapy bill.

Read the full blog and polling here ([link removed]) .

Here are some other highlights from DFP this week:

The Earth is gonna die, wrapped in plastic ([link removed]) .

As a society, we’re really making an effort to use less plastic. Straws are cardboard and essentially useless, but we’ve resigned ourselves to that fate. Water bottle caps got much smaller one day, which we don’t mind, we love a short king. And god forbid you leave your house without your reusable shopping bags.

But is it enough to actually combat plastic pollution? Voters don’t quite think so. Data for Progress finds ([link removed]) 78 percent of voters are concerned about the impact of plastic pollution on the environment, including 87 percent of Democrats, 81 percent of Independents, and 67 percent of Republicans.

We can say no thanks to plastic forks and knives on UberEats all we want, but Big Plastic is still out there, poisoning our planet one lid at a time. When asked who could have the most impact on addressing plastic pollution, a plurality of voters (41 percent) choose the plastics industry. Only 18 percent of voters chose the federal government and 13 percent selected the recycling industry.

[link removed]

Plastic pollution majorly affects our health and the well-being of the environment, and we don’t know about your health, but the environment is not doing too hot as it is. The plastic industry needs to look in the mirror, realize they’re the problem (hi, it’s me), and hold themselves accountable. Otherwise we’ll spam their emails with pictures of sea turtles trapped in six-pack rings.

Check out the polling here ([link removed]) .

Have another mimosa, drag brunch is on Chuck Schumer.

When Republicans aren’t busy giving guns more rights than people who can get pregnant, they’ve been targeting the trans and queer community in an onslaught of dangerous legislation. More than 430 bills aimed at reducing the rights of LGBTQ+ Americans have been introduced in state legislatures, and governors like criminal pudding offender ([link removed]) Ron DeSantis and Greg Abbott have continued to spread harmful messages that promote anti-trans hate.

Even though Republican politicians are willing to die on their transphobic hill, even Republican voters think the attacks on the queer community are getting a little desperate. Data for Progress finds 64 percent of voters think the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is excessive political theater, including 72% of Democrats, 65% of Independents, and 55% of Republicans.

[link removed]

Republicans are using the queer community as a wedge issue to energize and anger the far-right. It’s incredibly dangerous, and Data for Progress finds 56 percent of likely Democratic voters believe the Democratic Party needs to do more to protect the rights of queer and trans Americans. This includes 54 percent of Democrats and 63 percent of Independents.

The Democratic Party has a large platform that it can use to spread awareness and educate people about trans rights. Our polling finds that 69 percent of voters who know a trans person believe increased visibility and rights of trans people have made society better. With more education and engagement, people will better understand why these Republican attacks are pure propaganda. And since only 24 percent of voters have seen drag in person, obviously the first step should be a Democratic Party-sponsored bottomless drag brunch.

Read the full blog and polling here ([link removed]) .

DFP In The News

The Nation: Fossil Fuel Companies Are Donating Millions to Skew University Research ([link removed])

Roll Call: Republicans’ fixation on trans issues could backfire, pollsters say ([link removed])

Jacobin: Kathy Hochul Is Committed to New York’s Billionaires ([link removed])

Times Union: Commentary: New York can tackle climate challenges while bolstering union jobs ([link removed])

NPR: Americans Like It, Congress Ended It: Free School Lunch For All ([link removed])

Bloomberg: Michigan Scolds Kroger Over Shopper Confusion on Cage-Free Eggs ([link removed])

Common Dreams: Biden Climate Approval Plummets After Willow Oil Drilling Greenlighted ([link removed])


On Social
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

Meme of the Week
[link removed]

Donate
If you could donate ([link removed]) that would be like really, super cool of you.
Donate to DFP ([link removed])

============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Website ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
.