API Poll: Maryland voters support developing state’s natural gas resources

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A strong majority of registered voters across Maryland support the development of natural gas resources in Western Maryland, according to a new poll the Maryland Petroleum Council (MPC) is releasing as part of the state dialogue on hydraulic fracturing.

“This poll shows that a majority of Maryland voters, more than a two-to-one margin across all regions in Maryland, support more domestic natural gas development,” said Drew Cobbs, executive director of MPC. “Maryland no longer has to choose between more energy and a cleaner environment. The United States has dramatically increased energy production and use even as emissions continue to decline. Natural gas is a part of the solution.”

Fifty-one percent of Maryland voters voiced their support for the development of natural gas resources in Western Maryland. The statewide telephone poll, conducted for API by Gonzales Research and Media Services among 823 registered Maryland voters, also found that:

• 57% of registered Maryland voters in Western Maryland favor the development of natural gas resources in that region. (18% opposing and 25% with no opinion)
• 59% of registered Maryland voters in Baltimore City favor the development of natural gas resources in Western Maryland. (26% opposing and 15% with no opinion)
• 50% of registered Maryland voters in Metro Washington area favor the development of natural gas resources in Western Maryland (21% opposing and 29% with no opinion)
• 49% of registered Maryland voters on the Eastern Shore favor the development of natural gas resources in Western Maryland. (24% opposing and 25% with no opinion)
• 49% of registered Maryland voters in the Metro Baltimore area favor the development of natural gas resources in Western Maryland. (23% opposing and 28% with no opinion)

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