American voters of all political affiliations overwhelmingly support building the Keystone XL Pipeline, according to a new Harris Poll conducted for the American Petroleum Institute.
Cindy Schild, API downstream operations senior manager, refining and oil sands, explained the poll to reporters Thursday morning.
Numerous polls have demonstrated strong voter support for the pipeline, but this latest poll also examines the potential political consequences of failure to act on Keystone," Schild said.
Ninety-five percent of voters believe the federal government should focus on energy issues, including 70 percent who describe energy as very important, according to the poll.
Eight in 10 voters indicate their vote in the upcoming election will be influenced by a politician's stand on energy issues while almost seven in 10 (68 percent) report they would be more likely to support a candidate who supports approving Keystone XL.
If the energy security benefits of Keystone XL werent obvious already, the Ukrainian crisis demonstrates the consequences for nations unable to secure a reliable flow of energy. The U.S. has the ability to obtain 100 percent of our liquid fuel supply from stable North American sources within 10 years," said Schild.
Unfortunately, President Obama has decided to side with a billionaire activist and a handful of shrill extremists instead of the thousands of skilled American workers who have been shut out of the good-paying jobs KXL would provide," she continued. "The presidents lack of political leadership is hurting middle class Americans. If the White House refuses to heed the analysis of its own State Department and the will of American voters, its up to Congress to act on behalf of the American people and approve Keystone XL. It will create thousands of American jobs, and increase our energy and national security.
The nationwide Harris telephone poll among 1,000 registered voters also found:
- 78 percent of registered voters agree that KXL is in the U.S. national interest.
- 60 percent of Democrats say they will be more likely to support a candidate if that candidate supports approving KXL.
- 53 percent agree that if KXL is not approved, it would send a message to Putin that America is not as serious about energy security as it should be.
API represents all segments of Americas oil and natural gas industry. Its more-than-600 members produce, process, and distribute most of the nations energy. The industry also supports 9.8 million U.S. jobs and 8 percent of the U.S. economy.
Methodology:The study was conducted April 16-20, 2014, by telephone by Harris Poll on behalf of the American Petroleum Institute among 1,000 registered voters, with a sampling error of +/- 3 percent. A full methodology is available upon request.
Sunshine State News will comment on the Keystone XL Pipeline Friday.
