By Clara Migoya | Arizona Republic
Arizona voters show an unmoving concern about environmental conservation even as other issues become more pressing, according to a bipartisan poll released Wednesday.
In the poll, nearly 70% of respondents in Arizona said they would prefer members of Congress to place more emphasis on protecting water resources, wildlife habitat and air quality as opposed to producing energy through “responsible oil and gas drilling and mining” on public lands.
“High gas prices, increasing costs of living and water shortage concerns are not enough to move Arizonans to reconsider their consistent support for conservation policies or seek out short-sighted solutions that put land and water at risk,” said Katrina Miller-Stevens, an associate professor at Colorado College and director of the State of the Rockies Project.