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A new poll shows that voters in Western states are calling for protection of public lands in the face of threats from climate change and energy development.
The tenth annual Colorado College State of the Rockies Project Conservation in the West Poll surveyed voters in eight states, and found that a full 80 percent of voters consider stances on water, air, wildlife, and public lands to be important in their decisions whether or not to support an elected official — and 4 in 10 consider these stances a primary issue when compared to health care and the economy.
There is strong bipartisan support across the West for essential conservation issues such as fully funding the Land and Water Conservation Fund (70 percent support), and the ambitious goal of protecting 30 percent of America’s lands and waters by 2030 (73 percent support).
Climate change has also emerged as one of the top environmental issues over the ten years of the poll, and majorities of voters across the West see climate change as a serious problem that requires action.
The poll demonstrates that strong majorities of Western voters reject the Trump Administration’s policies toward wildlife, such as weakening the Endangered Species and Clean Water Acts.
Two-thirds of Westerners want Congress to protect public lands over allowing more drilling and mining, and strong bipartisan majorities want to see energy development operators held accountable for methane releases and pay higher fees for extraction of public minerals.
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In politics, voters have wants and they have needs. Smart politicians speak to the things voters consider needs. In the West, having a healthy environment isn’t a want. It is a need — essential. It requires more than just a passing mention from people who are running for office. It requires a sincere and sustained focus... Voters in the West are going to be paying a lot of attention and really scrutinizing candidates this year to see if there is somebody who is really serious about protecting land, air, water and wildlife.”
