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. Check out the Fact Sheet and Poll Results for more information.

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.