Surveys show fewer Americans want coal-fired plants

A study suggests that fewer Americans want coal-fired power plants — even Republicans, though a majority in that party still supports them. The National Survey on Energy and Environment, an annual nationwide opinion poll by the University of Michigan's Center for Local, State and Urban Policy, released a series of reports about changes in public opinion over the past 10 years. It found that "while Americans still seem lukewarm on reducing fossil-fuel production in general, and they are ambivalent and uncertain about natural gas, they are rapidly turning against coal," David Roberts reports for Vox.

NSEE chart; click on the image to get a larger version.

When NSEE first asked about a purposeful phaseout of coal-fired plants in the spring of 2016, most Democrats and even more Republicans opposed it. But support increased dramatically in both parties when the question was asked again in the fall of 2017. The share who said they strongly supported the idea increased to 29 percent from 18 percent, and in states with coal mines, strong support went up to 26 percent from 17 percent. Strong support among Democrats rose to 37 percent from 23 percent, and to 15 percent from 10 percent among Republicans.

The surveys found that mentioning President Obama's name with a hypothetical coal-plant regulation made it more likely that Democrats would support it and less likely that Republicans would.

Meanwhile, support for development of "clean coal" technology has fallen in the surveys, with strong support decreasing 15 percent over the past decade.