A bipartisan majority of Nevadans support tax credits for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy efficiency measures included in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, a poll released Wednesday found.
At least 74 percent of Nevadans surveyed — including 60 percent of Republicans — backed existing tax credits for purchasing new and used EVs and for installing EV charging stations, the poll found. At least 76 percent of Nevadans (and 70 percent of Republicans) said they support keeping a slew of clean energy and energy efficiency tax credits in place.
The results indicate widespread support for the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, a multifaceted bill passed in 2022 that included landmark incentives to lower the level of greenhouse gas emissions.
EV ownership, which is on the rise in the Silver State, has also emerged as a key issue in the 2024 election.
The poll was conducted by the Program for Public Consultation at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy and is the third of several issue-focused polls the group is conducting in swing states ahead of the 2024 election. In Nevada, 594 adults were polled in an online opt-in survey from July 10-19 with a margin of error of 4.6 percent. The survey was weighted to ensure a roughly equal split among Democrats and Republicans.
The Nevada poll results mirror the findings of surveys conducted in five other swing states and nationally, which also found bipartisan majorities against increasing the use of offshore drilling and in favor of federal regulations on fuel efficiency requirements for new cars.
However, Nevadans were more likely to support maintaining the existing tax credits as opposed to increasing them.
“There's substantial comfort with the laws that are in place right now,” said pollster Steven Kull, a political psychologist at the University of Maryland and director of the Program for Public Consultation. “The changes that have happened in the past years have been assimilated to the point now that people feel pretty comfortable with what we have in place.”
Congressional views
All five of Nevada’s congressional Democrats supported the Inflation Reduction Act, a seismic piece of legislation that also raised the minimum tax on large corporations to 15 percent and allowed Medicare to negotiate prices with drug companies.
Rep. Mark Amodei (R-NV), the lone Republican in the delegation, voted against the bill along with all other congressional Republicans. But in a letter last week to House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Amodei and other House Republicans wrote that “energy tax credits have spurred innovation, incentivized investment, and created good jobs in many parts of the country,” while acknowledging that the bill as a whole was “deeply flawed.”
Some GOP opponents to the Nevada Democrats who backed the legislation have also publicly opposed or denounced parts of the climate provisions.
Mark Robertson, who is challenging Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District for the second consecutive election, said in 2022 that the EV tax credits were “for the ultra wealthy who can afford them.” In a statement Tuesday, Robertson said he supports EV innovations from the private sector but is against “the government mandating what kind of cars we drive or subsidizing big businesses through tax credits or direct investments.”
Sam Brown, the GOP nominee for U.S. Senate against Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), has also panned the emphasis on EVs in posts on X, arguing it would cost American jobs and would “end in failure and regression of US mobility.”
Brown’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the poll results.
In response to the poll findings, John Lee, the GOP candidate challenging Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) in Congressional District 4, said in a statement that “families aren’t worrying about buying EVs; they're worried about putting food on the table.”
Drew Johnson, the Republican facing off against Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) in Congressional District 3, said in a statement he is “excited about the future of green energy” but that “tax credits for EVs are nothing but stealing from the poor to give to the rich.”
Tax credits for electric vehicles and charging stations
The number of Nevadans who own an electric vehicle is growing — as of June, there were slightly more than 44,000 electric vehicles registered in Nevada, up from 33,000 in 2022.
Through 2032, federal tax credits are available for consumers purchasing new and used clean vehicles, including all-electric, hybrid and fuel cell electric vehicles, and charging infrastructure.
Those with an income of less than $150,000 purchasing new EVs can qualify for up to $7,500 in tax credits. The poll found that 74 percent of Nevadans supported this tax credit, including 61 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats.
Those making less than $75,000 annually purchasing used EVs can qualify for up to $4,000 in tax credits. This credit has the approval of 77 percent of Nevadans, including 65 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats, the poll found.
“There is nothing wrong with rewarding people for doing what's right,” one poll participant said in their response.
Nevadans investing in residential charging stations can qualify for a tax credit of as much as 30 percent of its cost, with a maximum of $1,000. Approval of this measure sat at 75 percent — with 60 percent of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats in support — but these were the lowest numbers of any swing state.
Tax credits for clean energy and energy efficiency
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, as much as $3,200 in income tax credits are available annually through 2032 to homeowners nationwide who complete energy efficient home upgrades.
These rebates, eligible for as much as 30 percent of costs spent, include energy efficiency replacements for products such as doors and insulation.
Pollsters provided respondents with eight different energy efficiency and clean energy tax credits and found that they all had between 76 percent and 86 percent approval from Nevadans, depending on which credit. Additionally, no more than 24 percent of Nevadans supported repealing any of the tax credits.
“Increasing tax credits to offset costs of equipment or energy saving measures could encourage more people to do it,” one poll respondent said.
In Nevada, Solar For All, administered by the nonprofit Nevada Clean Energy Fund— which provides financial and technical resources to Nevadans — will begin offering rebates and financing next year for low-income solar projects and the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy is expected to offer federal home energy rebates for high-efficiency electric and energy savings measures.
Fuel efficiency requirements for new cars
Transportation accounts for nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, by far the largest sector. Neary 60 percent of those emissions are from light-duty vehicles.
A new regulation from the Environmental Protection Agency will require new light-duty vehicles be 20 percent to 30 percent more fuel efficient by 2027. The regulation is expected to increase the price of new vehicles, but will save vehicle owners money in the long run — which was told to poll respondents.
Consumers are expected to save an average of $6,000 over the lifetime of a new vehicle from reduced fuel and maintenance costs, once the standards are fully phased in.
The poll found that 66 percent of Nevadans supported this measure, which was the lowest of any swing state. This included 57 percent of Republicans and 86 percent of Democrats.
One respondent said that fuel efficiency goals need to be “reasonable.”
“We should also look at alternative fuels more and electric vehicles less,” the respondent said.
Offshore drilling
In December, the Biden administration announced it would continue allowing offshore oil and gas leasing during the next five years while scaling back the number of acres available, frustrating environmental groups that would like to see the practice of offshore drilling halted, and oil producers. In 2022, about 14.6 percent of the United States’ oil was produced through offshore drilling.
While offshore drilling does not exist in Nevada, 72 percent of respondents — including 60 percent of Republicans and 81 percent of Democrats — oppose increasing the use of offshore drilling, which was slightly lower than national averages, the poll found.
