We live in extreme times marked by extreme rhetoric and deeply divided politics.
That’s why it’s remarkable and refreshing when something comes along to show us we are not quite as divided as we might think.
Just last week, Colorado College’s State of the Rockies Project released the results of its massive Conservation in the West polling study. This bipartisan poll gauged attitudes in New Mexico and five other western states (2,400 total voters) toward renewable energy and the conservation of our land, water, air and wildlife; the results were quite surprising.
Despite all the anger and division we see in the media and attempts to deride conservationists as extremists, the poll found, unequivocally, that most New Mexicans call themselves conservationists – 70 percent of Republicans and 66 percent of Democrats in New Mexico. And what’s more, 73 percent say that New Mexico should maintain protections for land, air and water in the state rather than reduce them.
This means that, despite our divisions, we all recognize the special nature of the place we live and we all have a stake in preserving it for our children and grandchildren.
But perhaps where the poll was most insightful was where the rubber meets the road – in the area of renewable energy policy and New Mexicans’ attitudes toward it.
The truth about the renewable energy industry and its promise in New Mexico has taken root in the minds of most New Mexicans: renewable energy currently supports nearly 36,000 jobs. Our state is blessed with the potential to become a global leader in powering the 21st century.
The poll showed that 70 percent said increasing the use of renewable energy will create jobs in New Mexico. Poll respondents were also more apt to say they would encourage the use of solar power (66 percent) and wind power (52 percent) more than any other sources of energy, including fossil fuels.
Also, 66 percent of New Mexico voters think the highest priority for meeting America’s energy needs should be reducing our need for coal, oil and gas by expanding our use of clean, renewable energy that can be generated in the U.S.
Most telling: 71 percent said they would keep the existing clean-energy standards, which call for 20 percent of New Mexico’s power to be renewable by 2020. Just 24 percent would opt to lower the standard even when put into the context of bringing down electricity rates in the short term.
The results also poked holes in the fallacy that conservation protections hurt job growth. Eighty percent of New Mexico voters said they are more likely to believe that we can protect land and water and have a strong economy with good jobs at the same time, without having to choose one over the other.
Clearly, this is a message that needs to be heard by the current administration.
In fact, what we can use from our leaders at this time is a reduction in the divisive talk that pits conservation versus jobs. Hopefully the governor can dial back on her rhetoric and support what the vast majority of New Mexicans want – protection of our scarce water resources and a wise investment in renewable energy.
