According to a new statewide poll, Idahoans see availability of renewable resources as the state’s top energy priority and support using both incentives and regulations to cause change, reports S-R reporter Parker Howell – positions considerably more aggressive than those embodied in state energy plan that lawmakers unveiled last week.

The survey of 513 Idahoans by the Energy Policy Institute at Boise State University also found that residents are more comfortable with state intervention in siting of potentially polluting power plants than lawmakers. “I think Idahoans want more action than the Legislature has said they probably want to take in a plan,” said John Freemuth, interim associate director for the Center for Advanced Energy, which helped with the survey.

The state plan suggests an advisory state body to help with siting and prioritizes conservation before renewables, calling them a more cost-effective option. Look for full coverage of the survey in tomorrow’s Spokesman-Review.

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