IEEP | Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy

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Belief (and Disbelief) in Global Warming: 10 Years of Attitudes about Climate Change in the NSEE

October 1, 2019

Since 2008, the University of Michigan and Muhlenberg College have conducted the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE), a biannual national opinion survey on energy and climate policy. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the survey,...

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Adaptation, Mitigation, and Geoengineering: 10 Years of Climate Action in the NSEE

December 1, 2018

This report examines American attitudes on how to respond to climate change. We look at preferences for focusing on adaptation or mitigation efforts, and at Americans’ beliefs on whether efforts to prevent further climate change can actually be...

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Findings from the Fall 2018 NSEE

November 1, 2018

The National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) is an on-going biannual national opinion survey on energy and climate policy from University of Michigan and Muhlenberg...

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Solar, Wind, and State Mandates: 10 Years of Renewable Energy in the NSEE

October 1, 2018

This report considers how American attitudes about renewable energy policies—and solar and wind energy, more specifically—have changed over the last decade. We use time-series data to consider shifts in support for state-level renewable energy...

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Fuel Economy, Electric Vehicle Rebates, and Gas Taxes: 10 Years of Transportation Policies in the NSEE

July 1, 2018

This report examines American attitudes about policies that could reduce emissions from the transportation sector. We use time-series data to consider shifts in support for policies that require auto makers to sell more fuel-efficient vehicles, and...

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As Americans Experienced the Warmest May on Record Their Acceptance of Global Warming Reaches a New High

July 1, 2018

Over the course of the last 10 years the National Surveys on Energy and the Environment (NSEE) has fielded 19 surveys in which Americans have been asked if they believe there is solid evidence of global warming. In the latest version of this ongoing...

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Federalism and California’s Role in Vehicle Emissions Standards

July 1, 2018

This paper and its analyses were commissioned in order to support a paper written by Barry G. Rabe for the Academy of Arts and Sciences Project on Durability and Adaptability in Energy Policy entitled “Leveraged Federalism and the Clean Air Act: The...

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American Opinions on Carbon Taxes and Cap-and-Trade: 10 Years of Carbon Pricing in the NSEE

June 1, 2018

In this chapter, we present time-series data on American support for such policies, showing how attitudes have shifted—or not—over the last decade. We also detail how sensitive support or opposition is to more specific policy design elements: the...

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Should State and Local Governments Address Climate Change? 10 Years of Climate Federalism in the NSEE

March 1, 2018

In this chapter, we examine whether American public opinion about the proper role for various governmental levels to address climate change has shifted over the last decade. Using time-series data, we consider which levels of government Americans...

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Coal, Natural Gas, and Pipelines: 10 Years of Fossil Fuels in the NSEE

January 1, 2018

In this chapter, we look at how American attitudes about fossil fuels have changed over the last decade. We use time-series data to consider shifts in support for phasing out coal-fired power plants altogether and for so-called “clean coal,” as well...

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A Majority of Americans Support Net Energy Metering

August 1, 2017

Net energy metering (NEM), the policy that allows utility customers with onsite electricity sources such as solar panels or small wind turbines to sell excess energy they generate back to the electric grid, has played a significant role in the...

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Strong Public Support for State-level Policies to Address Climate Change

June 1, 2017

This report presents findings from the Spring 2017 National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) fielded just prior to President Trump’s June 2017 announcement to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 international climate agreement negotiated in...

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Moving the needle on American support for a carbon tax

March 1, 2017

Key findings from the latest round of the National Survey on Energy and Environment (NSEE) from the University of Michigan and Muhlenberg College suggest Americans are increasingly warming to the idea of a carbon tax, especially if they are told the...

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Fewer Americans Doubt Global Warming is Occurring

August 1, 2016

Since its inception in 2008, the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) has tracked whether Americans believe there is solid evidence that global warming is occurring. The Spring 2016 NSEE finds that Americans’ views on climate change—and...

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American Views on Fracking

May 1, 2016

Since becoming an economically viable means of extracting oil and gas in the early 21st century, hydraulic fracturing (or “fracking” as the process is commonly known) has become a major component of the American and world energy sectors. In 2015,...

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American Attitudes about the Clean Power Plan and Policies for Compliance

December 1, 2015

In August 2015, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the final rule of the Clean Power Plan, setting carbon dioxide emission reduction targets for each state’s existing power plants. A month later, the National Surveys on Energy and the...

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Acceptance of Global Warming Rising for Americans of all Religious Beliefs

November 1, 2015

The release earlier this year of the Papal Encyclical, Laudato Si’, and the visit of Pope Francis to the United States have reinvigorated the discussion of the relationship between religion and perceptions of global warming. This report, pulling...

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Acceptance of Global Warming Among Americans Reaches Highest Level Since 2008

October 1, 2015

For the first time since 2008 at least 7 out of 10 Americans indicate that they believe there is solid evidence of global warming over the past four decades. This 70% belief level is the second highest mark in the history of the National Surveys on...

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Belief in Global Warming Among Americans Gradually Increases Following the Winter of 2015

July 1, 2015

In the wake of a memorable winter season in the United States that included both record cold and snow in the Northeast and historic warmth and drought in the West, American views regarding the existence of global warming remain largely unchanged...

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Widespread Public Support for Renewable Energy Mandates Despite Proposed Rollbacks

June 1, 2015

In light of recent attempts in many state legislatures to repeal or weaken renewable portfolio standards (RPSs) in the 29 states that have adopted them, the latest version of the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) gauged public...

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Cap-and-Trade Support Linked to Revenue Use

June 1, 2015

The Obama Administration’s creation of the Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the electric power sector has renewed interest in possible state or regional adoption of cap-and-trade programs to meet mandatory reduction targets....

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Neighbors Diverge: An Explanation for the Differences in Silica Sand Mining Activity in Wisconsin and Minnesota

May 1, 2015

This paper provides a brief discussion on the demand for silica sand mining in Wisconsin and Minnesota and explores the reasons for different levels of industry development in the two states. These reasons include geology, rail transportation...

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Public Perceptions of Hydraulic Fracturing in Three Marcellus Shale States

May 1, 2015

Extraction from the Marcellus Shale—one of the most robust natural gas deposits in North America—represents the potential for economic growth and environmental degradation. There is little federal oversight concerning natural gas extraction...

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Public Support for Regulation of Power Plant Emissions Under the Clean Power Plan

January 15, 2015

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched a major new greenhouse gas reduction initiative in June 2014 through the release of its proposed Carbon Pollution Standards for Existing Power Plants. Better known as the Clean Power Plan (CPP), EPA...

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Public Opinion on Hydraulic Fracturing in the province of Quebec: A Comparison with Michigan and Pennsylvania

October 1, 2014

This report summarizes main findings of a comparative survey project, with a focus on explaining why attitudes toward fracking in Quebec are markedly different than in Pennsylvania and Michigan. The report is divided into three main parts. First the...

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Opportunity, Risk, and Public Acceptability: The Question of Shale Gas Exploitation in Québec

October 1, 2014

The Canadian province of Québec has the largest reserves of shale gas in Eastern Canada, but Québeckers are in the midst of a heated debate over the desirability of exploiting this resource. At issue is the controversial technique of hydraulic...

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Shale Governance in the European Union: Principles and Practice

October 1, 2014

The extraction of shale gas—mainly through the process of hydraulic fracturing or “fracking”—has become a central if contentious area of energy policy in the European Union (EU). Like their US counterparts, European policymakers are attracted by the...

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Public Perceptions of Shale Gas Extraction and Hydraulic Fracturing in New York and Pennsylvania

September 1, 2014

Given the large economic, environmental, and social implications from the issue of shale gas and the process to extract it of hydraulic fracturing combined with horizontal drilling (or “fracking” as it is commonly known), it is not surprising that...

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Public Views on a Carbon Tax Depend on the Proposed Use of Revenue

July 1, 2014

Conventional wisdom holds that a carbon tax is a political non-starter. However, results from the latest version of the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (NSEE) provide evidence of substantial public support for a tax on the carbon content...

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Public Opinion on Climate Change and Support for Various Policy Instruments in Canada and the US

June 1, 2014

This report summarizes results from national-level surveys on public attitudes toward climate change administered in Canada and the US in Fall 2013. Since 2008, the National Surveys on Energy and Environment (formerly the National Surveys of...