Americans want energy action, poll says

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 17 (UPI) -- Most Americans want U.S. oil imports to be reduced, a new poll by Zogby International says.

Dependence on foreign oil should be a high priority, said about 74 percent of the 1,000 people surveyed over the telephone in early April. Results of the poll were released Monday.

The majority was the same across all generations and political parties who placed a high importance on reducing the amount of oil the United States imports.

The results of the poll, released at the American Energy Security Summit in Alexandria, Va., strongly support the findings of a similar poll commissioned by United Press International in January, said Sam Rodgers, representative from Zogby.

The majority of those surveyed also supported rapid expansion of U.S. production of alternative fuels; federal energy programs supporting alternative fuels; some sort of government price mechanisms; and long-term government fuel contracts.

"People are reacting already and now they're looking for alternatives," Rodgers said.

In terms of energy, most people polled were most concerned about job and economic security. The majority was also not impressed by what the government has done so far; only 23 percent said they felt the United States has a comprehensive energy program.

The poll was conducted from April 9 to 11 with a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

For the past two years the Bush administration has been pushing to reduce oil imports and has set a goal of producing 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels by 2017. And the Monday poll results show the administration will likely have some backing in pursuing its goals.