A poll released on Wednesday finds a solid majority of likely voters across the nation support the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, even as President Barack Obama continues to oppose it. Last week, the White House announced it was delaying construction of the pipeline yet again as the Nebraska Supreme Court weighs a legal challenge toward it.
Rasmussen Reports released a poll which shows 61 percent of likely voters back creating the Keystone pipeline while 27 percent oppose it and 13 percent are undecided. Only 10 percent of those surveyed say they strongly oppose Keystone XL while 37 percent say they strongly support it.
A similar percentage of those surveyed -- 62 percent -- believe the Keystone pipeline will help the American economy while 10 percent say it will make it worse.
While almost a third -- 32 percent -- say the pipeline will hurt the environment, a plurality -- 41 percent -- believe there will be no impact while 13 percent think it will help the environment.
With congressional elections looming in November, the poll finds the Keystone XL remains a major political issue. A solid majority -- 57 percent -- say Keystone XL will impact their votes in November though 38 percent say it is not a major factor in determining their votes. Almost a quarter of those surveyed -- 23 percent -- say the Keystone XL will be very important as they vote.
Republicans are clearly much more supportive of the pipeline than Democrats, with 78 percent of registered Republicans and 67 percent of independents backing its construction. Only 42 percent of Democrats back the pipeline. Republicans are also more likely to focus on the Keystone XL in November with 69 percent of them saying it will be important when they cast their votes. A majority of independents -- 56 percent -- say Keystone XL will be important when they vote and 47 percent of Democrats say the same thing.
The poll of 1,000 likely voters was taken from April 21-22 and had a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com.
