Congress is running out of time to advance legislative priorities, and voters are losing patience as energy bills continue to rise. According to a recent nationwide poll commissioned by PAGE, 82% of voters face rising energy and utility costs and 65% cite energy costs as a serious problem. But Americans also recognize a solution. Two-thirds of voters and a majority of moderate Democrats support permitting reform to speed up the review and approval processes for new energy infrastructure projects, including natural gas pipelines.
As August recess looms and we approach midterm elections, July represents a make-or-break moment for bipartisan permitting reform negotiations. If policymakers fail to pass permitting reform during this crucial window, they’ll need to explain why they didn’t address energy affordability, a top concern for American voters. The message from voters is clear: they want affordable, reliable energy, and they see permitting reform as part of the solution.
Energy Costs are Too High
For American voters, the culprit of soaring energy costs is straightforward: an infrastructure system that can’t keep pace with demand. In fact, residential gas prices have increased 40% since 2019. And this rise in cost isn’t just a number on a monthly bill – 65% of voters say energy and utilities are a very serious problem for their households.
With energy bills skyrocketing, natural gas offers a critical advantage. Other energy sources can cost 3.5 times as much as natural gas, but millions of American households cannot access these savings because regulatory bottlenecks have frozen the infrastructure investments needed to deliver affordable energy. This discrepancy is particularly striking in the Northeast where much of the region lacks natural gas infrastructure. For example natural gas prices in New York are 26% higher during winter months than in Pennsylvania due to limited pipeline access.
Voters Favor A Balanced Energy Strategy
Over two-thirds of voters, including 73% of moderate Democrats, prefer a steady transition to clean energy that keeps costs low and reliability high. Natural gas plays a critical role in that mix, especially as it replaces more emissions intensive energy sources like coal and supports the integration of renewable energy onto the grid. In fact, over two-thirds of voters (69%) and 57% of moderate Democrats support both using and producing more natural gas in the U.S.
Americans Voters Support Permitting Reform
Three-quarters (75%) of American voters realize that energy demand is rising, which will only push prices further if we can’t match that demand with supply. A majority, including nearly 70% of moderate Democrats, do not think the U.S. is making sufficient progress towards producing the energy needed to meet that demand. But voters understand that permitting reform is a solution to this challenge. 66% of voters and 57% of moderate Democrats support permitting reform that includes natural gas pipelines, and 54% of voters view permitting reform as the key to lowering energy costs.
Support for permitting reform isn’t confined to one region or party. Our polling revealed voter sentiment is consistent across six key states – Georgia, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. In these states, at least 78% of voters report rising costs, at least 66% report rising demand, and at least 64% support permitting reform for natural gas pipelines in their state.
The consistency of these numbers tells an important story: voters across the country and the political spectrum are sending a unified message that Congress must act to unlock American energy resources through permitting reform.
Voters are Ready for Action. Is Congress?
Every month without permitting reform means continued infrastructure bottlenecks, higher consumer costs, and lost economic opportunity. As midterm elections approach, voters will remember whether Congress and the White House addressed the energy crisis or failed to act.
Energy costs are top-of-mind for voters, and inaction is a choice with electoral consequences. Voters are watching. The opportunity is clear. The deadline is July. Now it’s time for Congress to act.
About the Polls
Impact Research conducted a nationwide online survey of 1,000 registered voters plus an oversample of 250 moderate Democrats, and statewide surveys of 600 registered voters each in six states (Georgia, Maine, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Virginia). Interviews were conducted in late February and April 2026. The credibility interval for the nationwide sample is +/- 3.1, +/- 5.2 for the nationwide moderate Democratic oversample, and +/- 4.0 for each state.