Broad Public Support

Hydropower enjoys broad public support

Americans view hydropower as a clean, reliable and renewable resource, and support hydro-specific initiatives for tax credits, federal reinvestment in facility upgrades, and federal investment in research and development, according to a new poll of 1,006 adults conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International on behalf of the National Hydropower Association.

VIEWS OF HYDROPOWER

Hydropower enjoys a strongly positive reputation as an energy source. Nearly four-in-five Americans (78%) believe hydropower is cleaner than other current forms of energy, and roughly the same number (77%) think of hydropower as an environmentally-friendly resource. Moreover, hydropower is also seen as renewable (74%) and reliable (72%) by nearly three-quarters of Americans.

With all of these attributes there is broad bipartisan consensus that they describe hydropower well – with majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents in agreement.

HYDROPOWER’S FUTURE

Americans believe in maintaining the current hydropower infrastructure – and expanding the energy source going forward.

• Four-in-five (81%) say they favor maintaining existing hydroelectric power plants in the United States to generate electricity.
• Nearly as many Americans (75%) favor expanding hydropower in the United States.

HYDROPOWER REGULATION & LEGISLATION

Americans are also highly supportive of various initiatives that would improve hydropower regulation and initiatives that would promote hydropower. This support is strong, broad and bi-partisan with majorities of Democrats, Republicans and Independents supporting each of these initiatives.  Specifically, majorities favor:

• Federal investment in research and development into emerging hydropower technologies (77%),
• Federal government reinvestment of revenue from government-owned hydropower facilities to modernize and upgrade these facilities (77%),
• Hydropower receiving the same credits and incentives as other renewable energy sources like wind and solar (74%), and;
• Changing federal regulations so it takes less time to re-license an existing dam or retrofit a current dam to produce electricity (69%).

BIPARTISAN SUPPORT

A strong majority of Americans in both parties support hydropower and policies to promote it.