What do Virginians think about drilling for oil and gas off the Virginia coast? I haven’t seen any polls that ask that question specifically, but the American Petroleum Institute has generated data hinting that they might approve by large numbers.
In a poll that encompassed 18 key states, the Institute found that 70 percent of 501 registered Virginia voters (likely to participate in the upcoming presidential election) would “support increased access to domestic oil and natural gas resources.”
Admittedly, the question is pretty vague. While Virginians, like most other Americans, endorse the idea of producing more fossil fuels as a general idea, the data don’t tell us how they would respond to drilling in specific instances — especially if the drilling occurs near them. Would Virginians support drilling on the continental shelf off Virginia’s coastline by the same margin? The fact is, the API data doesn’t tell us.
Even if someone framed the question to ask about drilling off Virginia’s coastline, I’m not sure how meaningful the answers would be. Very few voters are conversant enough with the economic and environmental trade-offs associated with offshore drilling to have informed opinions. Virginia media — and that includes blogs — haven’t begun to examine the latest drilling technologies, the experience of oil/gas companies in other regions, or the unique factors that might come into play off the Virginia coastline. All the evidence I have seen is anecdotal.
The trouble with most polls — and that includes polls from the environmentalist/conservationist camp — is that they are designed to elicit responses that can be used for propaganda purposes. Rarely do they probe the complexities and nuances involved. Even if they did, they’d probably find that most voters were too ignorant to have intelligent opinions.