The latest USA Today/Gallup poll delivers a shot across the bow to those who believe the disaster in the Gulf is an argument for complacency on energy policy:
The oil spill off the Gulf Coast is staining more than Louisiana's beaches.
The response to the disaster by energy giant BP, President Obama and the federal government all get terrible grades from Americans in a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll.
Nearly three-fourths of those surveyed Monday and Tuesday say BP is doing a "poor" or "very poor" job in handling the calamity. Six of 10 say that of the federal government. And a 53% majority give Obama a poor rating.
Unfortunately, there is no magic wand that we can wave to immediately cure the damage that has already been done in the Gulf, but we can help make sure it never happens again by adopting new energy policies that will break our addiction to oil and fossil fuels. And according to this poll, that's exactly what the American public wants:
Now, a majority say protection of the environment should be given priority, "even at the risk of limiting energy supplies."
The 55%-39% divide on that question was a reversal of American views in March, before the April 20 explosion sent crude oil spewing into the gulf. Then, by 50%-43% Americans said development U.S. energy supplies should be given priority, "even if the environment suffers to some extent."
On a similar question, those surveyed divided 50%-43% over whether the environment should be protected "even at the risk of curbing economy growth" or if growth should be given priority, "even if the environment suffers to some extent."
That's a big swing from March, too. Then, by 53%-38% Americans chose economic growth as their priority.
Even though Americans are willing to sacrifice in order to to break our addiction to oil, there is ultimately no trade-off between moving towards an oil-free future and the economy. Indeed, if we don't develop alternatives, we'll not only wreck our ecology, we'll erase the best opportunity before us to achieve new prosperity, not just for the United States, but for the world.
We can't unspill the millions of barrels of oil that are now flooding the Gulf, we can only hope to limit the damage they cause. But we can move towards a new energy economy. There is probably no single more urgent priority for our nation than doing just that and this poll offers yet more evidence that the time for action is now.
