The calls by state Republican lawmakers Wednesday to increase oil and gas production echo similar calls from congressional Republicans and their allies, such as the American Petroleum Institute.

API on Wednesday released a poll showing nine out of 10 Colorado voters surveyed support the United States developing its own energy rather than relying on foreign sources, such as Russia. The poll of 400 registered Colorado voters was conducted by the firm Morning Consult between March 2-5 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

A strong majority of Colorado voters – Democrats, Republicans and unaffiliated – supported a statement that said “producing natural gas and oil here in the U.S. could help lower energy costs for American consumers and small businesses” while strengthening national security, according to an API news release.

One question asked about support for the U.S. developing its own domestic sources of energy rather than relying on other regions of the world, which found similarly strong support for voters of all political affiliations in the eight states in which they were surveyed. Along with Colorado, the poll also surveyed voters in Arizona, Florida, New Mexico, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

The poll also showed 78% of Colorado voters believe that producing natural gas and oil here in the U.S. helps America maintain a leadership role during a period of global uncertainty.

API Colorado Executive Director Lynn Granger said that given the ongoing crisis in Ukraine and the rising cost of energy both at home and abroad, “there is no question that access to secure, reliable and affordable energy is top of mind for Colorado voters.”

She noted that U.S. energy leadership has been a priority for the last seven presidents from both parties, a trend that voters want to see continue, according to the poll.

“Colorado is America’s fifth-largest oil producer and its seventh-largest natural gas producer, so policies implemented here have consequences far beyond our state’s borders,” Granger said.

Granger has first-hand experience with the implications of foreign energy independence, with service in the U.S. Army and two stints as a civilian communications staffer to a three-star U.S. Army general in Ukraine. 

“Coloradans of all political affiliations agree that American-made energy is better for our national security, for our economy, and for our allies abroad. It is time that policymakers in Colorado and Washington, D.C. take action to reflect that plain truth,” Granger added.