Letter to the Editor of the Topeka Capital-Journal
The Kansas Chamber of Commerce released a poll recently and claimed there was “overwhelming” support for new coal plants.
The poll, conducted by a partisan Republican firm, indicates 51 percent of the 600 voters surveyed support the construction of a new coal plant while 26 percent oppose it and 23 percent remain undecided on the project. A plus or minus 3.9 percent margin of error was reported.
The support of 51 percent of those surveyed, with a nearly 4 percent margin of error, falls short of a simple majority. At best, half the sample claim to support the plants while nearly one-quarter remain undecided. The Chamber’s claim of “overwhelming” support is a significant exaggeration.
The questions focused on only the economic benefits of coal plants, not the risks of increasing prices of coal, high-carbon electricity, or environmental costs.
In contrast, the Great Plains Alliance for Clean Energy released a poll conducted by bipartisan pollsters with twice the sample size of the Chamber’s poll.
The GPACE poll shows nearly two-thirds of Kansans prefer that the state expand clean, renewable types of energy, such as wind and energy efficiency, over building new coal plants. Further, 88 percent said it is important that Kansas move toward energy independence by developing our natural gas and wind resources.
That looks a lot more like an “overwhelming” majority, especially from bipartisan pollsters with twice the sample size.
We should focus on real solutions for economic growth for our future, rather than working so hard to keep Kansas locked in the past. Let’s move forward.
STEPHANIE COLE, Sierra Club, Overland Park
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