Veteran Republicans launch new effort to bolster conservative clean energy policy
AUSTIN, Texas (March 7, 2019) . . . In a poll released today by Conservative Texans for Energy Innovation (CTEI), Republican and Independent voters across the state expressed their overwhelming support for policies that encourage responsible clean energy solutions rooted in innovation, not government regulation.
The poll was conducted by the national Republican polling firm Public Opinion Strategies (POS), which specifically interviewed Texas voters who identified as Republican or Independent. According to the poll, Republican and Independent voters believe more use of clean energy will:
- Help the economy and create jobs (63%)
- Improve reliability of the electric grid (63%)
- Increase customer choice (75%)
- Help Texas continue to lead the nation in energy technology (79%)
- Result in more energy innovation (81%)
A total of 92% of Republican and Independent voters said an energy policy that protected private property owners’ ability to produce electricity on their own land was important, with 67% saying it was very important. By an overwhelming 84% to 11% margin, voters believe innovation – not government regulation – will do more to accelerate the development and use of clean energy in Texas. In addition, a total of 67% of Republican and Independent voters support an “all of the above” approach to energy policy in Texas.
The poll was conducted by POS Partner and co-founder Glen Bolger, the only pollster to be a three-time winner of the “Republican Pollster of the Year” award from the American Association of Political Consultants. Bolger’s firm currently has eleven U.S. Senators, six governors, and 46 members of Congress as clients.
Bolger said, “This survey demonstrates that Republicans and Independents generally offer solid to strong support for policies encouraging more clean energy in Texas and understand the numerous benefits these policies bring in job creation, technology advancement, innovation, and a cleaner environment.”
“Support for clean energy tests very well with GOP and Independent women, two groups Republican candidates need to do well with in 2020. Republican candidates in Texas will help themselves with these groups by including more messaging and support for clean energy innovation and production,” Bolger continued.
CTEI is a non-profit clean energy education and advocacy organization launched to promote energy innovation and clean energy policies grounded in the conservative principle of common sense, market-based solutions that allow fair competition and provide greater access to clean, affordable and reliable energy.
The organization is being led by Matt Welch and Kevin Brannon, longtime Republican veterans who have a combined 50-plus years as consultants in the Texas political and public affairs arena. They have advised numerous political campaigns, conservative organizations and grassroots efforts across Texas.
Brannon said, “Ronald Reagan said it best when he said a superior natural resources policy is one that favors those institutions by which new resources are substituted for old ones: individual enterprise, guided by the price signals of the market, and technological advances that conserve resources and permit them to be used more efficiently.”
Welch added, “As conservatives, we fundamentally believe free markets are the key to job creation, continued innovation and technological advancements in energy production, distribution, storage and efficiency. In contrast, the proposed massive ‘Green New Deal,’ would wreck the national economy and erode our personal freedoms in the process. Draconian, unworkable proposals underscore the need for conservatives to lead on clean energy. When we fail to offer constructive solutions to our challenges, it makes big-government outcomes more likely.”
Poll Results
