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President Joe Biden’s push to designate new national monuments and conserve more land, part of his administration’s “30×30” initiative, appears to have support in Utah.
That’s according to a new poll conducted by Colorado College which asked Utah voters if they support the White House’s plan to conserve 30% of U.S. lands and fresh water and 30% of U.S. ocean areas by 2030.
At least 83% supported the goal; and 84% said they support creating new national parks, monuments and wildlife refuges, and designating new tribal protected areas of historic significance.
Results from the annual State of the Rockies 2024 Conservation in the West poll were made public on Feb. 14, giving a window into public support for various issues including participation in outdoor sports, energy policy, public lands, and voting behavior. Colorado College has been conducting the poll for 14 years.
The poll was conducted from Jan. 4-29. It surveyed 3,376 registered voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4%.
Between 400 to 460 registered voters were surveyed from each state; 405 voters in Utah responded.
Utahns were asked whether they support “achieving a national goal of conserving thirty percent of land and inland waters in America, and thirty percent of its ocean areas by the year 2030.” Conservative and moderate voters were more likely to support the initiative, according to results.
About 30% of respondents identified themselves as conservatives who supported the goal—11% strongly and 19% somewhat—compared to almost 8% who said they oppose it.
Roughly 32% of respondents were self-described moderates in favor of the goal, with about 15% saying they strongly support it. And 19% of respondents were liberal voters who supported the 30×30 policy, 15% strongly so.
Dave Metz with the California-based polling firm Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin, Metz & Associates who worked on the survey, said this year’s poll points to a region-wide shift toward bipartisan support for conservation.
“We have always seen pretty significant emphasis on conservation across party lines, but this is the first year that we’ve got majorities of all three parties including 89% of Democrats, 72% of independents and 52% of Republicans indicating that they want Congress to focus more on prioritizing conservation,” Metz said, referring to regional results.
In Utah, the State of the Rockies results suggest what other, recent polling has found—voters lean toward supporting public land initiatives. For instance, an October poll from the Deseret News found that 42% of respondents supported keeping Bears Ears National Monument at its current size of about 1.3 million acres.
That’s compared to 26% who said they oppose the monument at its current size and 32% who responded “don’t know.”
Results like this point to a possible gap between Utah politicians, who often oppose large federal land designation like Bears Ears, and voters. The state of Utah is currently suing the federal government over the legitimacy of the monument, arguing that both Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments violate the antiquities act.
And although it’s not yet public, House Majority Assistant Whip Casey Snider (R-Paradise) is working on a resolution “opposing international influence in Utah policymaking and rejecting the 30×30 initiative.” — Kyle Dunphey, Utah News Dispatch
