A bipartisan majority of Nevadans support tax breaks for electric vehicles (EVs) and energy efficiency measures in the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, according to a poll released Wednesday.

At least 74 percent of Nevadans surveyed — including 60 percent of Republicans — support existing tax credits for purchasing new and used electric vehicles and for installing electric vehicle charging stations, the poll found. At least 76 percent of Nevadans (and 70 percent of Republicans) said they would support maintaining a range of tax credits for clean energy and energy efficiency.

The results suggest broad support for the climate provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act, a multi-pronged law passed in 2022 that includes groundbreaking incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Electric vehicle ownership, which is increasing 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-based polls the group is conducting in swing states ahead of the 2024 election. In Nevada, 594 adults were surveyed in an online opt-in poll from July 10-19 with a margin of error of 4.6 percent. The poll was weighted to ensure a roughly even split between Democrats and Republicans.

The Nevada poll’s results echo those of polls in five other swing states and nationally, which also found bipartisan majorities against expanding offshore drilling and in favor of federal regulations on fuel efficiency requirements for new cars.

However, Nevadans were more in favor of maintaining existing tax credits than increasing them.

“There is widespread satisfaction with the current laws,” said pollster Steven Kull, a political psychologist at the University of Maryland and director of the public consultation program. “The changes of the last few years have now been processed to the point where people feel quite comfortable with what we have.”

Views of the Congress

All five Democrats in Nevada’s Congress supported the Inflation Reduction Act, a landmark bill that also raised the minimum tax on large corporations to 15 percent and allowed Medicare to negotiate prices with pharmaceutical companies.

The lone Republican in the delegation, Mark Amodei (R-NV), joined all other Republicans in Congress in voting against the bill. 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, encouraged investment, and created good jobs in many parts of the country” but acknowledged that the bill as a whole is “deeply flawed.”

Some Republican opponents of the Nevada Democrats who supported the law have also publicly opposed or condemned parts of the climate provisions.

Mark Robertson, who is running for a second consecutive term against Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV) in Nevada’s 1st Congressional District, said in 2022 that electric vehicle tax credits are “intended for the super-rich who can afford them.” In a statement Tuesday, Robertson said he supports electric vehicle innovation from the private sector but opposes “the government dictating what kind of cars we drive or subsidizing big companies through tax credits or direct investment.”

Sam Brown, the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate against Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV), also criticized the emphasis on electric vehicles in posts on X, arguing that it would cost American jobs and “lead to the failure and regression of mobility in the United States.”

Brown’s campaign team did not respond to a request for comment on the poll results.

Responding to the poll’s results, John Lee, Republican challenger to Rep. Steven Horsford (D-NV) in the 4th Congressional District, said in a statement, “Families aren’t worried about whether to buy electric cars; they’re worried about how to put food on the table.”

Drew Johnson, the Republican running against Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) in the 3rd Congressional District, said in a statement that he is “excited about the future of green energy,” but “tax breaks for electric vehicles are nothing more than stealing from the poor to give to the rich.”

Tax relief for electric vehicles and charging stations

The number of Nevada residents who own an electric vehicle is growing – there were just over 44,000 electric vehicles registered in Nevada in June, up from 33,000 in 2022.

Through 2032, consumers can receive tax credits from the federal government when purchasing new and used green vehicles (including fully electric vehicles, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles, and charging infrastructure).

Those earning less than $150,000 who buy a new electric car can receive up to $7,500 in tax credits. The poll found that 74 percent of Nevadans support the tax credit, including 61 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats.

Those who earn less than $75,000 a year and buy used electric cars can get a tax credit of up to $4,000. Seventy-seven percent of Nevadans, including 65 percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats, support this credit, the poll found.

“There is nothing wrong with rewarding people for doing the right thing,” one survey respondent responded.

Nevada residents who invest in home charging stations can receive a tax credit of up to 30 percent of the cost, up to a maximum of $1,000. Support for the measure was 75 percent—60 percent of Republicans and 88 percent of Democrats supported it—but those were the lowest numbers of any swing state.

Tax relief for clean energy and energy efficiency

Under the Inflation Reduction Act, homeowners across the country who make energy-efficient improvements to their homes will be able to receive income tax credits of up to $3,200 annually through 2032.

These rebates can be up to 30 percent of the costs spent and include replacing energy-efficient products such as doors and insulation.

Pollsters provided respondents with eight different energy efficiency and clean energy tax credits and found that all of them had between 76 and 86 percent approval among Nevadans, depending on the tax credit. Moreover, no more than 24 percent of Nevadans supported eliminating any of these tax credits.

“Increased tax credits to offset the cost of equipment or energy-saving measures could encourage more people to do so,” said one survey respondent.

In Nevada, the Solar For All initiative, administered by the nonprofit Nevada Clean Energy Fund, which provides financial and technical resources to Nevadans, will begin providing grants and financing to low-income solar projects next year. And the Nevada Governor’s Office of Energy is expected to offer federal energy rebates to households for high-efficiency electricity and energy-saving measures.

Fuel efficiency requirements for new cars

Transportation is responsible for nearly a third of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, making it by far the largest sector. Almost 60 percent of these emissions come from light-duty vehicles.

A new regulation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires new light-duty vehicles to be 20 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, survey respondents were told.

Once these standards are fully implemented, consumers are expected to save an average of $6,000 over the lifetime of a new car through lower fuel and maintenance costs.

The poll found that 66 percent of Nevadans support the measure, the lowest of any swing state. Among Republicans, the figure was 57 percent and among Democrats, 86 percent.

One respondent said that fuel efficiency targets need to be “reasonable.”

“We should also focus more on alternative fuels and less on electric vehicles,” said the respondent.

Offshore drilling

In December, the Biden administration announced that it would continue to allow offshore oil and gas leasing for the next five years but would reduce the amount of acreage available, angering environmental groups that would like to stop offshore drilling and oil producers. In 2022, about 14.6 percent of the United States’ oil was produced through offshore drilling.

Although there is no offshore drilling in Nevada, 72 percent of respondents – including 60 percent of Republicans and 81 percent of Democrats – oppose expanding offshore drilling, slightly below the national average, according to the poll.