Most Voters in Eight Western States Support Conservation Over Oil and Gas Drilling on Public Lands: Poll
People ride their bikes near Jenny Lake in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming on Aug. 9, 2024. George Frey / Getty Images
In the newest edition of Colorado College’s Conservation in the West Poll, nearly three-quarters — 72 percent — of respondents from eight states said they supported boosting outdoor recreation and the protection of water, clean air and wildlife habitat by their congressional representatives over maximizing oil and gas drilling on public lands.
The 14th annual survey by the Rockies Project showed that 67 percent of voters in eight Mountain West states — Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada — are concerned about the future of water, land and wildlife.
“Majorities of voters view issues like loss of habitats and declining fish and wildlife populations, inadequate and polluted water supplies, microplastics, uncontrollable wildfires, air pollution, loss of pollinators, and loss of natural spaces as extremely or very serious problems in their state,” a press release from Colorado College said.
More than half of Western voters — 66 percent — believe the impacts of the climate crisis over the past decade have been significant in the state where they live. And 85 percent of voters — including 96 percent of Democrats, 87 percent of Independents and 74 percent of Republicans — say issues that involve clear air and water, public lands and wildlife are important to their decision of who to vote for.
“There may be a lot that divides voters across the country, but in the West there is nearly universal consensus in favor of conservation,” said Katrina Miller-Stevens, associate professor at Colorado College and director of the State of the Rockies Project, in the press release.
When asked their preference for what congressional representatives should put more emphasis on, 70 percent were in favor of protecting air quality, clean water and wildlife habitats while also providing opportunities for recreation on public lands.
That is in contrast to just over a quarter of voters — 26 percent — who would rather more domestic energy production be ensured by maximizing the availability of public lands for oil and gas exploration and mining. It was the first time in the history of the poll that the prioritization of conservation over maximized energy production received a majority of support from both Independents and Republicans.
“Westerners do not want to see a rollback of national monument protections and there is no mandate for oil and gas development. Voters from all political ideologies are united in support of public land conservation in the West,” Miller-Stevens said, as Inside Climate News reported.
Other areas of conservation also received overwhelming support, including a 78 percent majority in favor of more emphasis being placed on the preservation of wildlife migration routes, limiting more development in order to safeguard wildlife habitats and providing highway crossings for animals. This was in comparison with one-fifth of voters who said they wanted more emphasis to be placed on land use that was “economically productive,” like new development, oil and gas production, roads or ranching.
“By contrast, most voters see no conflict between clean energy production and preserving natural areas for wildlife habitat and the character of local communities. 75 percent of voters in the West agree we can increase clean energy production while preserving natural areas, while only 20 percent say we need to choose between production and preservation,” the press release said.
The Conservation in the West Poll showed that the outdoors, including public lands, are an important part of Western lifestyles. Sixty-two percent of respondents said that they had visited national public lands three-plus times over the past year, while just 12 percent said they had not spent time on public lands.
“Western voters also view connecting with nature as vital for their wellbeing. 93 percent say spending more time outdoors would help counter growing rates of anxiety, depression and mental health problems in young people, with 67 percent agreeing it would help a lot,” the press release said. “The deep connection between Westerners and the outdoors, along with the importance placed on protecting public lands, are reflected in strong support for a variety of conservation policies among Westerners.”
Light pollution was also important to voters, with 89 percent saying they supported managing public lands in a way that ensures there are more outdoor spaces that are free from light pollution “to better see the stars at night.”
When asked about policies that regulate the production of oil and gas on public lands, Westerners were overwhelmingly in support of conservation. Ninety percent said they were in favor of requiring that gas and oil companies foot the bill for land restoration and clean-up after drilling is completed, rather than requiring state and federal governments to do so.
“A lot of the actions that the Trump administration has taken or has proposed to take are pretty far out of step with what Westerners want to see in terms of our public lands,” said Rachael Hamby, Center for Western Priorities’ policy director, as reported by Inside Climate News. “If elected officials are straying too far from what their constituents want to see, they’re going to have to answer to their voters.”
The 2025 Conservation in the West Poll confirms what we already know—Westerners overwhelmingly support protecting public lands, clean water, and wildlife
www.coloradocollege.edu/…/conserva…
— Western Watersheds Project (@westernwatersheds.bsky.social) February 19, 2025 at 4:02 PM
