Study: Michiganders Willing To Pay More For Green Power
Three out of four residents in the auto industry-dominated state of Michigan would be willing to pay for ways to increase the role of renewable energy sources, a new University of Michigan survey says.
Many states have enacted policies that mandate increased use of renewable energy as well as other policies that could reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Michigan, however, has been among the least active states, which makes these latest findings surprising, said Barry Rabe, a professor in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy and School of Natural Resources and Environment.
In fact, while the costs estimated to reduce global warming vary, nearly half of Michigan residents surveyed said they would be willing to pay more than $50 annually in order to produce more renewable energy. Most Michigan residents support state requirements to increase the level of renewable energy in the state's electricity supply. Rabe co-authored the survey of 1,001 adults with Christopher Borick, professor of political science at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.
It is the first known survey of its kind to ask Michigan residents about global warming issues and climate policy options. These issues have moved rapidly from the back-burner toward the front of the American public policy agenda.
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