mountaintop removal mining research west virginia may 2008 appalachian voices
TRANSCRIPT
Mountaintop Removal Mining ResearchWest Virginia
May 2008
Appalachian Voices
Figure 2Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Key Findings
• WV voters oppose mountaintop removal mining and more likely to support presidential candidate who similarly opposes the method
• Majorities of two key audiences – Democratic primary voters and Independents – oppose mountaintop removal
• WV voters reject jobs vs. environment frame of mountaintop removal supporters
• Renewable energy seen as long-term key to energy security, economic growth, and quality of life of local communities
• Overwhelming support for Clean Water Protection Act – even after opponents say it will mean an end to mountaintop removal mining in WV
Figure 3Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
31
58
11
Right Direction Wrong Track Don't Know/Refused
Strong Change Dynamic
“Generally speaking, do you think that things in West Virginia are going in the right direction, or do you feel things are off on the wrong track?”
Figure 4Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
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53
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% Warm/Favorable Feelings Towards Bush% Cool/Unfavorable Feelings Towards Bush% Neutral/Don't Know
Bush Broadly Unpopular
Figure 5Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
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20 20
48
0
10
20
30
40
50
Coal Industry West Virginia Coal Association
% Warm/Favorable % Cool/Unfavorable
Support for Coal Interests
Net Difference +28 +18
Figure 6Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
3134
0
20
40
60
Prefer 1st Statement Strongly Prefer 1st Statement SomewhatPrefer 2nd Statement Strongly Prefer 2nd Statement Somewhat
48
39
Mountaintop removal mining has a positive impact on the economy in West Virginia.
Mountaintop removal mining has an unacceptable cost for West Virginia.
Voters See Positive Economic Impact
Figure 7Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
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50
0
20
40
60
Prefer 1st Statement Strongly Prefer 1st Statement SomewhatPrefer 2nd Statement Strongly Prefer 2nd Statement Somewhat
60
33
Protecting the environment usually requires some trade-off in terms of jobs and economic growth.
We can protect the environment without sacrificing jobs or hurting our economy.
But Voters Not Trapped in Jobs vs. Environment Paradigm
Figure 8Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
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42
0
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60
Prefer 1st Statement Strongly Prefer 1st Statement SomewhatPrefer 2nd Statement Strongly Prefer 2nd Statement Somewhat
52
37
Coal provides the best choice for meeting our country's long-term energy needs.
Renewable energy like wind and solar is the best choice for meeting our country's long-term energy needs.
Looking Ahead to a Post-Coal Solution
Figure 9Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
2027 29
42
1318
0
20
40
60
Strongly Support Somewhat Support Strongly Oppose Somewhat Oppose
Opposition to Mountaintop Removal Mining in West Virginia
40
35
48
41
51
60
All Voters
Net Opposition +8 +10 +25
Dem Primary Voters
Independents
Figure 10Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Presidential Politics in West Virginia
• WV voters closely following presidential race, but more than 3-in-4 say they have not heard enough about coal use and coal mining
• More than half of Democratic primary voters say attitudes on mountaintop removal will not significantly impact their vote for President, but…
• Among those focused on this issue, more than 2-in-3 more likely to support candidate who opposes mountaintop removal mining
• Issue makes biggest impact among youngest voters – 34% of voters under 30 more likely to support candidate who opposes mountaintop removal, just 6 percent less likely
Figure 11Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
2938
1813 16
52 5445
26
0
20
40
60
More likely to support Less likely to support No impact on vote
Impact of Opposition to Mountaintop Removal on Presidential Vote
All Voters
Net Support +8 +16 +22
Dem Primary Voters
Independents
Figure 12Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Messages to Oppose Mountaintop RemovalTier 1 Much
more lkly to supp
Total more lkly to supp
We face a clear choice when it comes to the energy future of our country. Mountaintop removal mining increases pollution and health risks, destroys the economies of local communities, and pollutes our land and water for generations to come. Renewable energy sources such as wind and solar create good-paying jobs, protect our environment, and enable local communities to make the most of their natural resources. It's time to stop selling out to the oil and coal companies and their record profits and to invest in renewable energy sources.
West Virginia's natural beauty, rolling mountains, and pristine waterways are at the heart of our area's unique heritage - a tradition that has been passed down for generations. But across our region, mountaintop removal mining is threatening this heritage, destroying millions of acres of forests, burying more than a thousand miles of streams under mining waste, and leveling more than 800 square miles of mountains. We have an obligation to our children and grandchildren to preserve our unmatched natural heritage before it's too late.
34 55
32 55
Figure 13Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Messages to Oppose Mountaintop RemovalTier 2 Much
more lkly to supp
Total more lkly to supp
Clean water is vital to the health of our families and local communities. Mountaintop removal mining is destroying local waterways, with over a thousand miles of rivers and streams buried in valley fills with mining waste. Across our region, more than 40 percent of wells have been found to have concentrations of heavy metals exceeding federal standards - a number that increases to 70 percent near mountaintop removal mines. And a recent major study by West Virginia University found that residents of coal-mining communities are at an increased risk of developing chronic heart, lung, and kidney diseases and that hundreds of residents die each year because of coal-mining pollution.
Mountaintop removal mining kills local economies. Because it relies mostly on dynamite rather than miners, it creates very few jobs relative to traditional mining. The damage from blasting and dust is hazardous to other businesses and has devalued homes as much as 90 percent. Surface mining accounts for only 1 percent of the jobs in West Virginia and just two and a half percent of the state's total revenues - a fraction of the jobs and revenue created by tourism. The damage to our local economy, natural resources, and health is too great for such a small economic benefit, especially when tourism and investment in renewable energy sources could provide much greater economic growth and a higher quality of life.
30 48
26 48
Figure 14Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Messages to Support Mountaintop RemovalTier 1 Much
more lkly to supp
Total more lkly to supp
Coal is the economic engine that keeps West Virginia running. Coal companies employ more than twenty thousand residents, and every coal mining job generates between five and six other jobs in the local economy. More importantly, coal jobs are quality jobs - West Virginia coal miners earn an average of more than fifty thousand dollars a year, more than twice the amount of the statewide average for all workers.
Coal mining has been an integral part of our region for more than 100 years and is a vital part of our history and our economy. Those who want to protect our environment must acknowledge the central role that mountaintop removal mining plays and work with the coal companies and local communities to find solutions that work for everyone rather than seeking to outlaw activities that are central to our economy and our way of life.
26 55
25 54
Figure 15Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Messages to Support Mountaintop RemovalTier 2 Much
more lkly to supp
Total more lkly to supp
Coal companies in West Virginia have invested billions of dollars in the restoration of land and environment once the coal has been extracted. Millions of acres that underwent mountaintop removal mining have been reshaped and naturally restored to provide flat land that is more valuable and provides greater economic opportunities than the land did before mining took place.
America's security demands that we free ourselves of our dependence on Middle East oil, but our energy needs are increasing. Coal is an abundant and affordable energy source, and coal from mountaintop removal mining is an important part of America's domestic energy supply. Locally produced coal provides more than 98 percent of the electricity used in West Virginia each year, and the state enjoys the eighth lowest retail electricity rates in the country. Ending mountaintop removal would threaten our energy security and mean higher electricity rates.
24 48
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Advances in technology have made mining safer than ever for workers. Mountaintop removal mining relies on state of the art technology to access and mine coal while minimizing the hazards for workers. As a result, coal miners have more than tripled their productivity, and mining now has a lower rate of injuries and illness than the agriculture, construction, or retail trades.
21 48
Figure 16Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Shift in Opposition to Mountaintop Removal Net opposition Pre-Messages vs. Post-Messages
Net Shift +5 +11 +4
13
21
29
8 10
25
0
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40
All Voters Dem Primary Voters Independents
Net opposition pre-messages Net opposition post-messages
Figure 17Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
Shift in Support for Candidate who Opposes Mountaintop Removal
Net support Pre-Messages vs. Post-Messages
Net Shift +8 +3 +12
1619
34
8
1622
0
10
20
30
40
All Voters Dem Primary Voters Independents
Net support pre-messages Net support post-messages
Figure 18Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
5
73
0
20
40
60
80
100
Strongly support Somewhat supportStongly oppose Somewhat oppose
87
9
Support for Clean Water Protection Act
“Let me ask you about a related issue. Congress is currently considering the Clean Water Protection Act, a bill that would make it illegal to dump mining waste into rivers and streams. Do you support or oppose passage of the Clean Water Protection Act?”
Figure 19Appalachian Voices – Mountaintop Removal Mining Research, West Virginia
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9
55
0
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Consistent support Oppose
Even if it Means the End ofMountaintop Removal Mining
“Opponents of the Clean Water Protection Act say its ban on dumping mining waste into waterways is too strict and would make it impossible for mining companies to continue to perform mountaintop removal mining. Would you support or oppose passage of the Clean Water Protection Act if it meant coal companies could no longer mine in West Virginia using mountaintop removal mining?”
Conditional support