Montana Energy/Climate Survey: 72% Favor Ending 'Tax Holiday' for Oil & Gas Producers,...

Montana Energy/Climate Survey: 72% Favor Ending 'Tax Holiday' for Oil & Gas
Producers, 7 out of 10 Favor Freeze on Coal-Fired Power Plants

Strong Support Seen in State For Moving Ahead on New Energy, Climate
Solutions; Coal-Fired Power Plant Moratorium Is Significant Since MT Has One
of Largest Number in the Works.

BILLINGS, Mont. and WASHINGTON, Oct. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- If elected
officials in Montana and Washington, D.C. are going to continue investing in
energy through subsidies, tax breaks and other incentives, the focus should
shift from oil & gas, coal-fired power and nuclear power to promoting wind and
solar energy, enhanced energy efficiency, and highly fuel-efficient vehicles,
according to a new survey of 601 Montana adults conducted for TheCLEAN.org and
the Civil Society Institute (CSI) by the leading U.S. survey firm Opinion
Research Corporation (ORC). The CLEAN/CSI survey was released today with the
Billings-based Northern Plains Resource Council.

Key CLEAN/Civil Society Institute survey findings for Montana include the
following:

-- Nearly three out of four Montana residents (72 percent) -- including
59
percent of Republicans, 86 percent of Democrats and 72 percent of
Independents -- support "ending the state's 13-year-old tax
holiday" for oil and gas producers, which was put in place in 1995
when the price of oil was less than $17 a barrel. It is estimated that
oil and gas companies save $40 million to $60 million annually because
of the tax holiday. Fewer than one in four (24 percent) favor keeping
the tax holiday as is.

-- A halt to construction of new coal-fired power plants is supported by
the vast majority of Montana adults. Over two thirds of respondents
in
Montana (69 percent) would support "a five-year moratorium on new
coal-fired power plants in the United States if there was stepped-up
investment in clean, safe renewable energy -- such as wind and solar
--
and improved home energy-efficiency standards." The moratorium on
new coal-fired power plants is favored in Montana by 59 percent of
Republicans, 83 percent of Democrats and 53 percent of Independents.

-- Nearly three out of five Montana residents (56 percent) want the new
President and Congress to seek "independence from foreign energy
primarily (by) promoting energy sources such as wind or solar, more
conservation of energy, and hybrid or other highly fuel-efficient
cars." Only about a third of state residents (35 percent) favor
achieving "independence from foreign energy primarily by promoting
energy sources such as more coal-fired power plants, oil from offshore
drilling and nuclear power." Fewer than one in 10 state residents
(7 percent) see no need to change U.S. consumption of foreign energy.

Beth Kaeding, chair, Northern Plains Resource Council, Billings, MT., said:
"It is good news that the majority of Montanans believe, like most in the rest
of the nation, that it is imperative that we move forward on energy and global
climate issues. Citizens across the board want our state and national leaders
to focus resources and policies on clean, renewable and alternative energy
sources."

Civil Society Institute President and Founder Pam Solo said: "Montana
residents deserve credit for understanding that more investment by the state
and federal governments in coal and nuclear power is essentially the same
thing as investing in subprime mortgages. If Montana taxpayers are going to
directly or indirectly underwrite energy development and energy-intensive
industries -- such as the auto industry -- we need to insist that state
officials in Montana and the next Congress and President make good, solid
investments that make sense for the long-term of our country. The only energy
investments that rise above the 'subprime' level today are wind, solar and
other clean renewable energy in concert with enhanced energy efficiency."

Grant Smith, national project coordinator for TheCLEAN.org, added:
"Investments in coal and nuclear power are the Countrywide Financial subprime
mortgages of the energy world. What the public is saying in this survey is
that we support government making investments in the energy sources of
tomorrow, but we have to stop flushing money down the drain by propping up the
failing energy sources of yesterday, including oil, coal and nuclear. It
makes no sense to be making 50-year investments in new coal-fired power
plants. Energy efficiency and renewable technologies already have overtaken,
in many instances, or will soon overtake, in other instances, coal-fired power
in terms of direct cost and are far superior in terms of financial risk,
economic benefit, and the ability to address global warming. There is no
viable model under which new nuclear power plants can be constructed as
anything other than multi-billion-dollar public works boondoggles. After the
current financial debacle on Wall Street, it is hard to imagine that Americans
are going to allow more dumb investments by Montana and Washington on the
wrong energy sources."

Opinion Research Corporation Senior Vice President Wayne Russum said: "What
we see in our survey work is that national and state-level attitudes about
energy and climate action vary relatively little. In fact, in some respects,
the residents of Montana are even more inclined than other Americans to look
beyond coal and other carbon-based fuels to renewable energy sources."

OTHER KEY FINDINGS

TheCLEAN.org/Civil Society Institute survey conducted by Opinion Research
Corporation also found the following about the views of Montana residents:

-- Only one in 10 Montana residents favor allowing the production of
gasoline or diesel substitutes from coal - also referred to as
"coal to liquids" or "liquid coal" - to be
subsidized "without any additional environment controls."
About two out of five state residents (39 percent) oppose subsidies
for
coal to liquids under any circumstances. About half (48 percent)
would
permit subsidies "but only with stringent environmental
controls."

-- Most Montana residents want to see government aid for wind and solar
power put on the same or better footing than coal-fired and nuclear
power plants. Over half of Montana residents (52 percent) and the same
number nationwide want the government to "evenly divide" any
subsidies, tax breaks or other incentives for new construction
"between nuclear power and coal-fired power plants and energy
sources such as wind and solar." About a third (31 percent) of
those in Montana and 30 percent of Americans would go further, having
the government "shift all or most of them from nuclear power and
coal-fired power plants to energy sources such as wind and solar."
Only 11 percent of those in Montana and one in 10 Americans would
"keep the incentives for nuclear power and coal-fired power the way
they are today."

-- Wind and solar are seen by Montana residents as the future of energy
for
America. In Montana, 68 percent of respondents see oil and 56
percent
coal as power sources of yesterday. This compares to more than two
out
of three Americans who now see coal (70 percent) and oil (67 percent)
as
the "power sources of yesterday." By contrast, solar and wind
are seen as "power sources of tomorrow" by 90 and 95 percent
of those in Montana and 92 percent and 88 percent of Americans,
respectively.

-- Montana residents pick clean energy over coal and nuclear power. Two
out
of three Americans and the same percentage of those in Montana would
ask
for wind, solar and other renewable energy technologies if they could
"tell your power or utility company where to get the power to run
your house." By contrast, only 8 percent nationally would pick
nuclear power (the same as in Montana) and just 3 percent would pick
"coal-generated power" nationally and in Montana.

-- Most Montana residents know that time is running out to deal with
global
warming. Three out of five of those in Montana and a similar
proportion
of Americans (63 percent) believe that "global warming is a problem
and we have limited time to figure out the solutions to it."

-- Energy issues will figure prominently at the ballot box in November in
Montana. Nine out of 10 respondents in Montana and 91 percent in the
nation as a whole say that "the views of candidates on
energy-related issues -- such as gasoline prices, home heating oil
prices, global warming and energy independence" will be important
as they vote in 2008. Of this amount nearly three in five (54 percent
in Montana and 58 percent nationwide) say that energy issues will be
"very important" to how they vote.

Other key findings include the following:

-- The vast majority of those in Montana see a positive or neutral
economic
impact from dealing with global warming. Fewer than one in five in
Montana (15 percent) and the nation as a whole (17 percent) believe
that
"action on global warming will hurt the U.S. economy," while
over half (58 percent in Montana and 51 percent in the US) believe
"action on global warming will create new jobs and
investment." About a quarter (24 percent in Montana and 28 percent
nationwide) say that such action "will neither help nor hurt the
economy."

-- Today's politicians are not seen as likely to act on climate
issues. Nearly half of those in Montana (45 percent) and 40 percent
nationwide, have "only a small degree of confidence" while one
in four have "no confidence" (27 percent in US and 25 percent
in Montana) that "our current elected officials in the United
States will act decisively on global warming issues."

-- More than three out of four Americans (78 percent) and slightly more
in
Montana (80 percent) agree with the following statement: "The
effects of global warming require that we take timely and decisive
steps
for renewable, safe and clean energy sources. We need transitional
technologies on our path to energy independence. There are tough
choices to be made and tradeoffs. We cannot afford to postpone
decisions since there are no perfect options."

-- Nine out of ten Montana residents agree with the following statement:
"The reliance on fossil fuels is the product of the industrial
revolution of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Do you think it is
time for our nation to start thinking in terms of the concept of a
'new industrial revolution,' one that is characterized by the
orderly phasing out of fossil fuels and the phasing in of clean,
renewable energy sources -- many of which are available now, such as
wind and solar for electricity, hybrid and clean diesel technologies
for
cars?"

-- More than four out of five Montana residents (85 percent) and the same
percentage nationwide do not think "the federal government is doing
enough about high energy prices and the U.S. dependence on Middle
Eastern energy sources."

For complete survey findings, go to http://www.TheCLEAN.org.

SURVEY METHODOLOGY

The TheCLEAN.org/Civil Society Institute poll conducted by Opinion Research
Corporation's CARAVAN Services was a telephone survey conducted among a sample
of 601 adults (301 men and 300 women) aged 18 and older living in private
households in the state of Montana. Interviewing was completed October 1-5,
2008. The survey was weighted by age and gender to ensure reliable and
accurate representation of the total population. The margin of error for
surveys with samples of around 600 respondents, at the 95 percent confidence
level, is plus or minus 4 percentage points. Smaller sub-groups in any survey
will have larger error margins.

ABOUT CSI AND THECLEAN.ORG

The nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute
(http://www.CivilSocietyInstitute.org) is a think tank that serves as a
catalyst for change by creating problem-solving interactions among people, and
between communities, government and business that can help to improve society.
Since 2003, CSI has conducted more than 20 major surveys and reports on
energy and auto issues, including vehicle fuel-efficiency standards, consumer
demand for hybrids/other highly-fuel efficient vehicles, global warming and
renewable energy. In addition to being a co-convener of TheCLEAN.org, the
Civil Society Institute also is the parent organization of 40MPG.org
(http://www.40MPG.org) and the Hybrid Owners of America
(http://www.HybridOwnersofAmerica.org).

TheClean.org (http://www.TheCLEAN.org) is a collaborative movement of state
and local organizations and individuals who will encourage and support policy
makers at all levels of government to implement new energy policies. The Civil
Society Institute worked with grassroots organizations across the United
States to help organize the TheClean.org campaign.

ABOUT NPRC

For 35 years, the Northern Plains Resource Council has been committed to
organizing Montana citizens to protect our water quality, family farming and
ranching, and our unique quality of life. Visit
http://www.northernplains.org/ on the Web.

CONTACT:Ailis Aaron Wolf, (703) 276-3266 or aawolf@hastingsgroup.com.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A streaming audio recording of the related Montana news event
will be available on the Web as of 4 p.m. MT/6 p.m. ET on October 23, 2008 at
http://www.theclean.org and http://www.civilsocietyinstitute.org.

SOURCE Northern Plains Resource Council, Billings, MT; Civil Society
Institute, Washington, DC

Ailis Aaron Wolf, +1-703-276-3266, aawolf@hastingsgroup.com, for Civil Society
Institute and NPRC