September 3, 2010
New Poll: 88% of Americans Want Science Before Drilling
Just in time for Secretary Salazar’s visit to the U.S. Arctic, today our colleagues in Alaska released the results of a new nationwide poll on offshore drilling. The poll, conducted by David Binder Research, shows that Americans overwhelmingly support a precautionary approach to offshore drilling.
According to the poll, 88 percent of the American public thinks it is important for there to be a science-based approach to decision-making and for response capabilities to be in place before any drilling occurs, even if it slows the timeframe for oil drilling.
And when asked about drilling in the Arctic, more than 70 percent were concerned about the risks. And there has been a dramatic increase in the percentage of people that oppose offshore drilling in the oceans, rising from 23% in September of 2009 to 41% in August of 2010. Whereas two-thirds supported drilling in the oceans a year ago, only 51% support it today.
With this poll and the Deepwater Horizon disaster still fresh in mind, Oceana is asking Secretary Salazar and the Department of the Interior to take a precautionary approach to oil drilling decisions in the Arctic Ocean.
If you haven’t already, join the more than 155,000 people who have signed our petition to stop offshore drilling today.