HARRISBURG -- Voters want the state to invest in renewable energy, even if it means they would have to pay a little more on their electric bills.

A statewide survey of likely voters showed overwhelming support for Gov. Ed Rendell's energy independence plan.

PennFuture, an environmental watchdog group, released the poll results yesterday. The survey was conducted June 9-11 by Susquehanna Polling and Research of Harrisburg and surveyed 750 likely voters.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents said they support the use of tax dollars to encourage biodiesel and ethanol fuel plants to locate in Pennsylvania.

Slightly more, 68 percent, said they support a 45-cent monthly surcharge on electric bills to finance debt service on a proposed $850 million bond issue.

It would fund grants and loans for clean-energy projects, programs to attract alternative fuel producers to Pennsylvania and rebates for homeowners to buy solar panels or to replace old appliances with energy-efficient ones.

The surcharge to commercial customers would be $3 a month, while the largest industrial customers could pay as much as $833 a month depending on energy usage, according to the governor's office.

Mr. Rendell also wants to require utility companies to install "smart meters" for customers who want them. The meters allow variable electric rates for peak and off-peak energy use and would encourage customers to use high-wattage appliances, like dishwashers and washing machines, during off-peak times when rates are lower.

His sweeping energy plan, which is being offered as a package of four bills, also would allow utility companies to buy and sell electricity in a competitive market and would require auto fuel producers to decrease the percentage of fossil fuels used in products sold at Pennsylvania gas pumps.

Republicans oppose the plan because it involves a bond issue on the backs of consumers.

However, support for it runs high among likely voters, according to the PennFuture poll. That support holds strong across geographic regions, party lines, ideology, gender, age and income, the poll showed.

"The public is well ahead of its political leaders," said John Hanger, president of PennFuture.

"This is about as close as I've ever seen to a consensus. It's remarkable," he told Capitol reporters during a news conference yesterday. "Pennsylvanians want bold action on energy -- and they want it right now."

Lawmakers' action may not follow the public sentiment shown in the poll, particularly in a Senate controlled by Republicans trying to block initiatives proposed by a Democratic governor. Passage in the House, where Democrats have a one-seat majority, could be tenuous, too.

"How is the governor's plan going to reduce energy costs when he's calling for a tax on electricity?" asked Steve Miskin, spokesman for House Minority Leader Sam Smith, R-Punxsutawney.

"This administration is pushing to put Pennsylvania in the energy business and government shouldn't be in that business. The focus should be market-driven and taxpayer-oriented," he said.

The governor is more interested in building a legacy than in doing the right thing for Pennsylvania, Mr. Miskin said.

Fundamental partisanship could be the deciding factor in whether the plan passes.

"This business about who wins and who loses and about not giving me victories shouldn't matter," Mr. Rendell said Friday during a conference call with editorial writers and broadcast news directors. "I'm term-limited and I'm not running for anything. I should not be the issue."

Speaking to Capitol reporters yesterday, Mr. Hanger agreed.

"We are in a partisan town but this poll demonstrates that normal partisan instincts should be put aside," Mr. Hanger said. "This is not a political issue. It's not an ideological issue."

Results of his group's poll should send a clear message to lawmakers that their constituents want "bold action on energy, [not] timid half steps," he said.

Mr. Miskin played down the poll, saying its questions were biased to "guarantee Pollyanna results without comparing them to alternatives."

It was "an advocacy poll, not an objective poll," Mr. Miskin said in an e-mail message.

The GOP normally views Susquehanna Polling as reputable, judging by its list of clients, which include the Republican House caucus and several individual members.

The poll had a theoretical margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.