Majority Of Americans Support Off Shore Drilling, Plurality Support Deep Water Drilling
As Obama continues to fight the courts in an effort to ban off shore drilling, the public continues to support the industry:
With the deepwater oil leak apparently capped after three months of gushing into the Gulf of Mexico, support for both offshore oil drilling and drilling further out in deepwater remains largely unchanged. Most voters also remain concerned about the potential environmental impact of new drilling.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 56% of U.S. Voters now believe offshore oil drilling should be allowed, while 26% oppose it. One-in-five voters (19%) are undecided.
That’s down from 60% last month. Since the oil rig explosion that caused the massive oil leak, support for offshore drilling has ranged from 56% to 64%.
The rig that exploded was drilling in deepwater, and 47% of voters continue to support deepwater drilling. Thirty-one percent (31%) say deepwater drilling should not be allowed, but another 22% are not sure.
This finding shows virtually no change from last month when 49% expressed support for deepwater drilling.
Keep in mind that the economic fallout from Obama’s moratorium on off-shore drilling, if the courts ever allow it to be instituted, is projected to be worse than the economic fallout from the oil spill itself.
Tags: Barack Obama, bp, deep water drilling, gulf oil spill, off shore drilling, polls
