Reducing Consumer Energy Costs & Increasing Energy Independence
Energy costs are a significant drain on families’ paychecks. From home heating and cooling, electricity, gasoline and the energy costs built into what we buy, when the price of life’s necessities goes up, your paycheck effectively goes down. And that means people who are already struggling are the ones who get hit the hardest. That’s not fair. We can protect families’ paychecks with an energy policy that develops our home-grown resources in an environmentally-sensitive manner, while pursuing renewable and sustainable resources for the future. YG Network’s bold energy strategy includes domestic exploration, conservation and developing a wide variety of renewable energy resources like wind, solar, geothermal and biofuels.
Poll Data
- 90% of respondents have experienced higher energy costs (May poll).
- Conservatives: 92% higher energy costs
- Moderates: 92% higher costs
- Liberals: 86% higher costs
- Energy prices, including gas, an important pocketbook issue, are hurting personal finances more than the national debt or government regulations – 88%, 71% to 61%, respectively (March poll).
- Conservatives: 91% energy, 80% debt, 80% regulations
- Moderates: 86% energy, 70% debt, 56% regulations
- Liberals: 84% energy, 57% debt, 41% regulations
- 65% agree we should expand drilling off-shore and on federal lands after knowing that the United States has enough natural gas to meet our energy needs for 90 years (May poll).
- Conservatives: 83% agree
- Moderates: 63% agree
- Liberals: 44% agree
- 84% agree that we can focus on energy production and environmental protection simultaneously (March poll).
- Conservatives: 82% agree
- Moderates: 87% agree
- Liberals: 86% agree
Focus Group Data
Most focus group participants acknowledged that America needs to expand energy exploration and to use the resources we have here at home.
- “We need to do more with our resources.” – Tea Party participant, Minneapolis
- “According to my brother, we have so much oil in the Gulf. It will last hundreds of years, but they don’t want us to know that.” – Tea Party participant, Palm Beach
- “I would agree [with increased energy exploration] if it makes us less dependent on other countries.” – Swing participant, Palm Beach
But some remain skeptical based on high-profile events and wonder how this is accomplished.
- “The oil lobby wants it but the environmentalists say it will do a lot of damage. Where is the trade off?” – Swing participant, Manassas
Dial Tests
YG Network’s policy scored in the mid-70s to low 90s (on a zero to 100 scale of agreement) among both Tea Party respondents and moderate Independents. Having conveyed the nature of the problem (high prices, a reliance on foreign oil), Keystone XL becomes a solution. Respondents told us that we should be using our own resources for our energy needs—and we have plenty of our own resources that we can be using. We also heard that they believe that we can obtain these energy resources without harming the environment. It’s important to explain Keystone XL as some Americans are more familiar with the project than others.
| WHAT: | WHY: |
| Something for everyone | |
| “We can drive energy prices down with an energy policy that develops domestic resources in an environmentally sensitive manner, while pursuing renewable energy sources for a sustainable energy future. A bold energy strategy includes domestic exploration, conservation, and development of a variety of renewable sources like wind, solar, geothermal, and biofuels. This way everyone wins.” | This policy shows simultaneous concern for the environment and concern for extracting the energy America needs. Respondents support using all of the sources of energy available to us to reduce our energy costs. This scored in the mid-70s to low 90s (on a zero to 100 scale of agreement) among both Tea Party respondents and moderate Independents. |
| Energy and Caring | |
| If government leaders truly care about the Americans they are paid to represent, they’ll work to keep the cost of energy as low as possible, while also keeping our air and water clean. | This is designed to focus on the theme of caring, while at the same time concentrating on personal needs. |
| Keystone | |
| Instead of depending on foreign energy, we can get oil and natural gas right here at home. The U.S. and Canada are sitting on the largest oil and natural gas reserves in the world—over a trillion barrels of proven energy reserves. The Keystone Pipeline, awaiting President Obama’s approval, will safely transport oil from the shale oil fields of Canada to the refineries of the southern United States. This will help keep energy resources within our hemisphere, provide a major source of affordable energy, and reduce our dependence on Middle Eastern oil. In addition, it will create tens of thousands of American jobs. If the pipeline isn’t built, the oil is still going to be transported across the United States, but by using riskier modes, such as trucks and rail transport. Pipelines are five times safer than rail transport, and nearly 500 times safer than trucking. And both rail and truck use more energy to transport less fuel. Among these options, a pipeline is the best way to move this fuel. If we refuse to approve the pipeline, the Canadians are still going to extract and transport the oil. By approving the Keystone Pipeline, we can assure that the oil is transported by the safest, most environmentally friendly means. That’s what we should be aiming to do. | Having conveyed the nature of the problem (high prices, a reliance on foreign oil), Keystone becomes a solution.Respondents told us that we should be using our own resources for our energy needs—and we have plenty of our own resources that we can be using. We also heard that they believe that we can obtain these energy resources without harming the environment.It’s important to explain Keystone XL as some Americans are more familiar with the project than others. |
| Federal lands | |
| Land owned by the federal government has rich energy deposits of valuable oil shale, enough to provide Americans with 140 years of electricity. But the Obama Administration won’t allow this energy source to be tapped. Oil and natural gas production on federal lands is down by more than 40% compared to 10 years ago. While some in Washington would present Americans with the false choice between protecting the environment and lowering energy costs, it’s been proven that we can do both—safely. That’s why we should expand safe offshore energy, using proven technology, and increase energy production on federal lands. | Beyond Keystone, these are other viable ideas for keeping energy prices in check.Participants were more receptive to energy exploration on federal lands than to offshore exploration, due largely to recent events they have witnessed regarding offshore drilling. |
| Natural gas and clean coal | |
| Natural gas is another abundant and affordable domestic energy source. It’s clean, too—in recent years U.S. greenhouse emissions have fallen, due in large part to power plants switching from clean coal to natural gas. Speaking of domestic clean coal, it’s another fossil fuel that’s cheap and plentiful; right now it provides about half of the nation’s electricity, and more than 760,000 American jobs. | Our respondents agreed with these opinions on domestic natural gas and clean coal. |
| Solyndra | |
| What government should not do is throw money at wasteful projects, or reward companies because of their political involvement. Unfortunately the Obama Administration has made some ill-advised investments of taxpayer dollars into sustainable energy companies with unsustainable business practices. Solyndra, the bankrupt manufacturer of solar panels, is the most famous example, but it isn’t the only one. | Our respondents hate government waste and cronyism, and this statement goes right to the heart of their concerns. It’s important to explain the background of Solyndra, as some Americans are more familiar with it than others. |