More on recent Pew poll results

Americans Losing Interest in Energy Conservation

* 50% now support drilling in ANWR, up from 42%.
* 47% rate energy exploration as more important that conservation, up from 35%.

Change was also noted among young people, liberals, Democrats and women--groups that have consistently opposed increasing fossil fuel exploration.

51% of people ages 18-29 now support expanding exploration, up from 26% in February. The gender gap has disappeared on the issue, too, as well as the gap between Democrats and Republicans.

In other bad news, the Energy Information Administration said that participation in green pricing/marketing programs has decreased among electricity customers, further supporting the notion that Americans are unwilling to pay a price for protecting the planet.

After three years of gains from 2003-2005 in the number of participants in programs that allow customers to pay a fee to support the generation of clean, renewably based power, participation dropped in 2006. (Numbers are not yet available for 2007.)

The number of programs available to customers increased slightly in 2006, from 442 to 484. But nationwide, participation decreased 32% from 942,772 to 645,167.

Without strong leadership on this issue, or a reversal in the tide of public opinion, dark days lie ahead.