Voters and natural gas: It's complicated

Voters support natural gas production but also believe the industry must operate more cleanly, a new Brunswick Group poll shows.

Driving the news: The survey shows more support for gas than other fossil fuels, but it's much less popular than renewables.

• 46% say gas can play a key role fighting global warming only if the industry does a lot more to curb emissions.
• 31% see gas playing a "vital role" fighting climate change while 23% view gas as "part of the climate problem" and oppose new infrastructure.

Why it matters: Gas releases far less CO2 when burned than coal, which it has for years been shoving aside in power markets.

• But methane emissions from production and transport erode some of that edge.
• Activists want a much faster transition to zero-carbon sources to enable steep emissions cuts.

The intrigue: The election season has high stakes for the fuel.

• President Trump has scrapped regulations on methane emissions.
• Biden's plan calls for emissions rules and some new drilling limits, but does not support a fracking ban.

The big picture: The polling on gas is part of a wider-ranging new Brunswick Group survey on energy and climate.

• 53% support giving state and local governments more power to thwart oil and gas pipeline projects, but 59% say blocking pipelines will not help fight climate change.
• 13% of voters call climate one of the two most important topics in deciding their presidential vote, which is far below the pandemic, the economy and health care.
• Subsidizing clean energy and regulating fossil fuel production and use is more popular than taxing carbon emissions.

Methodology: The August 5–11 survey of 1,000 registered voters has a margin of error of ±3.1%.