Poll Analysis: Californians Conserve Electricity, Oppose Easing Environmental Regulations

     Californians, after weeks of „stage three‰ energy alerts that contain the threat of rolling blackouts, are eager to see new non-nuclear power plants built in the state and don‚t even mind if it is in their own backyards, according to the latest Los Angeles Times poll.
     The demand for new sources of energy has not budged Californians off their historic position of support for anti-pollution regulations, however, nor lessened their opposition to lifting the moratorium on offshore oil drilling and the building of new nuclear power plants.

Energy Crisis State‚s Top Problem
     State residents, amid growing disapproval of the Legislature‚s 1996 deregulation action and an increasing concern about the energy crisis, continue to be skeptical that there is an actual, as opposed to manufactured, shortage of electricity in the state. In fact, the proportion who say there is not a shortage has risen to 57%, up slightly from the 54% measured by a Los Angeles Times poll in early January.
But, whether Californians think collusion is to blame for the problems or not, there is growing concern over the crisis˜more than four out of five named an energy issue as a top problem facing California, a figure that is up more than 20 percentage points over the concern measured just over one month ago. Conservation has also risen˜nine out of 10 residents say they are taking measures to help conserve electricity now, up from just over three-quarters in the last survey.
?63% pointed to one or more energy issues as the top problems in the state, compared with 39% in early January.
?54% named deregulation of the electricity industry as one of the two top problems in the state, compared with 12% who pointed to deregulation in January.
?74% said they have been turning off lights, 49% said they were limiting their use of heating and air conditioning, 40% said they are limiting the use of electrical equipment and appliances, and 18% said they are replacing energy inefficient appliances.
     The survey found state residents are more pessimistic about the direction California is taking than they have been in years. The number who say the state is on the wrong track has climbed from 40% in early January to 47% now while the proportion who say it is going in the right direction has dropped to 38%, down from 45% just over one month ago. The last time the Times Poll measured a more negative than positive view was in October 1996, when the state was pulling itself out of the tough recession years of the early 1990s.

Proposed Solutions Seen As Bailout
     Three-quarters of state residents said they agree with critics who have called private utility debt-relief measures currently being debated in the state Legislature a „bailout‰ of those for-profit companies. Just over half of those who consider the proposed actions a bailout indicated they consider them to be necessary, however, while 27% of those said they are very or somewhat upset about it. Fifteen percent said they didn‚t consider the actions to be a bailout of the cash-strapped utilities in the first place.
     The survey also found most state residents readily support the building of new non-nuclear power plants in the state, and their willingness extends even to construction in their own communities. A proposal now under discussion in the state Legislature to purchase existing hydroelectric power plants from the private utilities was also supported by a majority of residents, a proportion slightly higher than those who indicated they would support the state‚s purchase of privately owned power lines.
?83% favor (65% strongly favor) building new non-nuclear power plants in California while 12% oppose non-nuclear power plant construction.
?74% of those who favor building new non-nuclear plants would be willing to see them built in their own communities.
?52% favor the proposal now being discussed by the Legislature that the state purchase power lines from the private utilities. 36% oppose that idea.
?56% favor the proposal to purchase and run the utilities existing hydroelectric power plants, with opposition at a third.
?43% favor doing nothing to help the utility companies pay off debt, 50% were opposed.
     When the four options were presented and respondents asked to choose the proposal they liked the most, purchasing hydroelectric power plants from the private utilities (a concrete example of receiving goods for money spent) was the most popular at 31%, followed by the option of „doing nothing to help the private utility companies to pay off their debt‰ which was selected by 21%. The idea of a state purchase of some portion of California‚s electricity grid was met with the least enthusiasm˜only one in 10 said they thought that was the best idea.
     There has been some speculation that Californians, motivated by desire for a more stable supply of power, might be weakening in their opposition to easing environmental regulations, building new nuclear power plants, or reinstitution of offshore oil drilling. The survey clearly shows, however, that majorities of residents still feel strongly about these environmental issues and may not be willing to let even an energy crisis alter their protective stance.
?60% oppose (47% strongly oppose) building new nuclear power plants in the state, although one-third said they are in favor.
?64% oppose (54% strongly oppose) easing environmental standards in the state in order to increase the output of electricity while 29% favor such a measure.
?64% disapprove (53% strongly disapprove) of lifting the moratorium on drilling for oil off California‚s coast in order to help solve the state‚s energy shortages. 31% approve of lifting the ban.
     This is even higher than the 56% (among registered voters) opposition the Times Poll measured in October of 1990, during a time of concern that war in the Middle East might jeopardize U.S. energy supplies.

Handling the Energy Crisis
     Of all the major players in the electricity shortage drama, Governor Gray Davis is the closest thing the state has to a leading man. Davis‚ overall job approval is up to 57% among all residents and almost half approve of his handling of the energy crisis˜this despite more than eight in 10 who said they feel that political concerns for the future have motivated his decisions during the crisis to at least some degree.
     However, if Davis is cast as the hero during this crisis, it may be owing to the California state Legislature, the California Public Utility Commission, and the privately-owned utility companies vying for the role of villain. A majority of the public expressed disapproval of the way they‚ve handled the crisis in each case, reserving specially low marks for the PUC. More than two out of five residents also expressed disapproval of President Bush‚s less-than-helpful approach to the state‚s dire energy problems.
?Nearly half (49%) approve of Davis‚ handling of the crisis vs. 37% who disapprove. This is markedly better than the 29% approve to 39% disapproval found in early January.
?Davis‚ overall job rating is now 57% approve to 26% disapprove, up from 49% to 25% measured just over a month ago.
?28% approve and 51% disapprove of the California State Legislature‚s handling of the crisis.
?19% approve and 67% disapprove of the private utility companies handling of it, down from the 59% who expressed disapproval in early January.
?16% approve and 60% expressed disapproval of the way the California PUC handled the problems. The January Times poll found this measure at 22% approval, 66% disapproval.
?33% approve and 44% disapprove of President Bush‚s handling of the crisis.

Legislative Solutions
     Despite the high level of concern among residents, over half said they weren‚t familiar with the measures already taken by the governor and state Legislature. Once told about the legislation, some programs˜already signed into law and aimed at steadying the state‚s flickering electricity supply˜proved to be more popular among residents than others. The survey found a slim majority of support for legislation which mandates higher rates for higher electricity usage. A bill which provides funds for appliance rebates, and a measure which requires businesses to reduce off-hours lighting by half were much more popular, at 76% and 83% approval, respectively. Residents were less supportive, by far, of legislation which authorizes the state to sell bonds for funds to buy electricity not available to credit-strapped private utilities.
?55% approve of recent legislation which permits the private utilities to charge high-use customers more for the excess power they consume, 39% disapprove of this action.
?76% approve (53% strongly approve) of the state‚s earmarking of $75 million for a rebate program aimed at improving conservation, 19% disapproved of the action.
?83% approve (58% strongly approve) of the Governor‚s emergency order for businesses to shut down half of their off-hours lighting or face fines.
?50% disapprove and 37% approve of the state approving $10 billion dollars in bond sales to finance electricity purchases for private utility customers.
     The controversial state purchase of long-term contracts to buy electricity, lampooned by critics as an example of failed negotiation on the part of state lawmakers, was given mixed reviews by residents. Thirty-nine percent approve vs. 44% who disapprove of the action.There is also no consensus on whether the measures already taken by state government will benefit California in the long run˜overall, just over one-third of residents think the legislation passed so far will be good for the state. One in five predict it will be bad, and another quarter said it won‚t make any difference one way or the other.

How the Poll Was Conducted
     The Times Poll contacted 579 Californians by telephone February 14ˆ15. Telephone numbers were chosen from a list of all exchanges in the state. Random-digit dialing techniques were used so that listed and unlisted numbers could be contacted. The entire sample was weighted slightly to conform with census figures for sex, race, age, education and region. The margin of sampling error is plus or minus 4 percentage points for the entire sample. For certain subgroups the error margin may be somewhat higher. Poll results can also be affected by other factors such as question wording and the order in which questions are presented.