# Willingness to Pay and Political Support for a U.S. National Clean Energy Standard

 Title: Willingness to Pay and Political Support for a U.S. National Clean Energy Standard Author: Aldy, Joseph Edgar; Kotchen, Matthew J; Leiserowitz, Anthony A Note: Order does not necessarily reflect citation order of authors. Citation: Aldy, Joseph E., Matthew J. Kotchen, and Anthony A. Leiserowitz. 2012. Willingness to Pay and Political Support for a U.S. National Clean Energy Standard. Nature Climate Change. 2(5). Full Text & Related Files: Aldy_willingnesstopay.pdf (226.2Kb; PDF) Abstract: In 2010 and 2011, Republicans and Democrats proposed mandating clean power generation in the electricity sector. To evaluate public support for a national clean energy standard (NCES), we conducted a nationally representative survey that included randomized treatments on the sources of eligible power generation and program costs. We find that the average American is willing to pay $162 per year in higher electricity bills (95% confidence interval:$128-$260), representing a 13% increase [4], in support of a NCES that requires 80% clean energy by 2035. Support for a NCES is lower among non-whites, older individuals, and Republicans. We also employ our statistical model, along with census data for each state and Congressional district [5], to simulate voting behavior on a NCES by Members of Congress assuming they vote consistent with the preferences of their median voter. We estimate that Senate passage of a NCES would require an average household cost below$59 per year, while House passage would require costs below \$48 per year. The results imply that an “80% by 2035” NCES could pass both chambers of Congress if it increases electricity rates less than 5% on average. Published Version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1527 Terms of Use: This article is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of-use#LAA Citable link to this page: http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:8832942 Downloads of this work: