UP Gazette

An overwhelming majority of voters polled by the UP Gazette are overwhelmingly against Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden’s proposals to emphasize wind and solar energy over fracking and the Democratic Party’s move to eliminate the fracking industry.

The poll ran on Facebook from Oct. 2-10 and was targeted at voters living in the Upper Peninsula who were asked their opinions on fracking policy changes proposed by Biden. 

Biden recently said the country needs to transition away from fracking and indicated his administration would put in place a timeline to move toward solar and wind energy. 

UP Gazette asked poll respondents, “As President, Joe Biden says he will work to replace oil and natural gas as the primary sources of power with wind and solar farms. Do you believe this is feasible?” 

Of 333 responses, 290, or 87.1%, answered “no” and 43 , or 12.9%, answered “yes.” 

Fracking is big business in Michigan. Fracking is linked to $159 billion of the state's gross domestic product each year and 500,000 Michiganders have jobs due to the industry. 

The United States has become the world’s largest oil producer due to fracking.

The Global Energy Institute released a report revealing that 19 million jobs are at stake if the fracking industry is banned. The economy is also projected to see an annual loss of $7.1 trillion in gross domestic product and $1.9 trillion in tax revenues. Additionally, the group notes that gas prices would likely double, and natural gas prices would triple and quadruple household power costs. 

In response to “Would you be willing to pay more for wind and solar energy?,” those taking part in the survey rejected the proposal by a margin of 289 to 44, with 86.8% answering “no.” 

Biden is in tricky territory when it comes to fracking. U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has been a proponent of the “Green New Deal” in which the federal government would subsidize so-called “clean” energy. 

As part of the “Green New Deal,” which is projected to cost taxpayers nearly $100 trillion, Ocasio-Cortez and other Democrats have been clamoring to kill fracking altogether, a move that is not supported by local voters. 

More than 86% percent, or 288 of those polled by UP Gazette, said “no” in response to “Do you support Democrats' plans to ban fracking?”

See the charts below with all responses to poll questions.

Biden wants to appeal to blue collar workers employed in fracking or adjacent industries. However, he is facing increased pressure within his own party to roll back fracking. 

Nearly half of the Democratic Party’s presidential candidates signed on to a complete ban on fracking. 

Democratic vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris notably called for a ban on CNN but apparently changed her mind in the face of a tightening election when she adopted Biden’s stance in last week’s debate against Vice President Mike Pence. 

Energy produced by wind and solar power is notoriously costly. Alternative energies have been promoted for years but have fallen far below expectations. 

During the Obama administration, renewable energy companies, most infamously Solyndra, were given billions in subsidies. Solyndra, which was supposed to produce solar arrays for large installations, received $535 million from Democrats but never produced a kilowatt hour prior to declaring bankruptcy. 

Obama’s clean energy program, which cost taxpayers $100 billion, was noted for “mismanagement” and at best under-delivering on promises when delivering at all. 

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