Survey: 80 Percent of Michigan Residents Support Upgrading State's Power Lines To Create Thousands of New Jobs

Poll Also Finds Strong Support for Infrastructure Improvements Leading to Pocketbook Savings for Seniors, Other Consumers & Expanded Access to Clean Energy

DETROIT, Feb. 23, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Plans to upgrade Michigan/upper Midwest power lines that would create thousands of new high-paying jobs, save consumers money, and introduce more clean energy into the state are strongly supported by Michigan consumers, according to a new Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey for The 21st Century Jobs Coalition.

Conducted between February 13-15, 2012 among a sample of 600 Michigan adults, the survey found:

• Four out of five state residents support the upgraded electric transmission infrastructure as a means to create high-paying jobs. It is projected that Michigan will benefit from 1600-3700 new construction-related jobs and 2600-7000 total jobs, including construction, supplier and other downstream opportunities.
• Nearly nine out of 10 state residents (86 percent) support the upgraded electric transmission system in order to lower utility bills.  An average residential consumer will pay about $11 per year and receive $23 in lower energy costs per year. These benefits come from more use of cheaper energy sources, and a more efficient distribution system.
• More than three out of four state residents (76 percent) favor the enhanced power lines to allow for greater access to cleaner wind energy for Michigan. Improved transmission lines will allow for better integration of wind and other renewable energy sources into the system.

Fred Anderson, coordinator, 21st Century Jobs Coalition, said: "A better electricity transmission system for Michigan is going to be good for jobs, consumers and the environment. Michigan residential consumers and businesses are paying more for their electricity than they should. Rates here are higher than any other state in the Midwest, due in part to our reliance on old and inefficient power lines that hamper our prospects for attracting the companies and jobs of the future."

Tom Jensen, director, Public Policy Polling, said: "These survey findings show right across the board that Michigan consumers understand the link between an improved electricity infrastructure in the state and the issues of jobs, pocketbook savings for seniors and other consumers, and expanded access to clean energy."

OTHER SURVEY HIGHLIGHTS

• 85 percent of those over 65 in Michigan say they would either "welcome" or "not oppose" a "plan helping to lower the cost of heating my home in the winter …" About two fifths of Michigan seniors (38 percent) said they currently find it hard to pay their utility bills.
• When told about the projected two-to-one benefits for consumers resulting from an upgraded electricity infrastructure, about two thirds of Michigan residents (65 percent) said they were more likely to support the overhaul plan.
• More than seven out of 10 Michigan residents (71 percent) say they support improved power lines to "make it possible to bring in more clean energy, like wind power, which would reduce harmful air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels in power plants."

The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percent at the full sample level.

ABOUT THE COALITION
The 21st Century Jobs Coalition is a new effort focused on removing the barriers to creating the new high wage jobs of the future. We are grassroots consumers, small businesses, union members and renewable energy advocates.  Our advisory board consists of:

• Fred Anderson serves as coordinator of the coalition on a volunteer basis. He has over 20 years of experience in legislative and regulatory utility policy including a nation-wide effort to comprehensively rewrite federal telecom policy.  He has extensive experience organizing broad based coalitions that include consumers and businesses and has taught utility policy at the university level.  Anderson lives in Lansing, Michigan.
• Bess Vrettos is a consultant to renewable energy companies and helped create the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council (NOPEC) the largest public aggregator of utility consumers in the United States. She lives in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Todd Main is a community organizer, and a Spartan for life. He has spent most of the past two decades in the Midwest and Southwest working with citizens to strengthen consumer protections, clean up the environment, promote renewable energy and preserve public spaces. He lives in Chicago.
• Michael Zeleke is an international consultant specializing in emergency response and disaster relief. He has worked for the US Agency for International Development in Nairobi, the Red Cross, the International Medical Corps in Rwanda and Angola and the United Nations in South Africa. He received the American Refugee Committee Humanitarian Aid Worker of the Year 1994 for his work in Somalia. He lives in Washington DC.
• Mike Kelly is a strategic advisor to utility companies and rural electric cooperatives in Texas and the Southwest. He lives in Austin, Texas.

For more information, go to http://www.21stCenturyJobsCoalition.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  A streaming audio replay of a related Michigan news event will be available on the Web at http://www.21stCenturyJobsCoalition.org as of 5 p.m. EST/4 p.m. CST on February 23, 2012.

SOURCE The 21st Century Jobs Coalition