A strong majority of registered voters across the United States–including those in all 19 key Congressional Districts polled–oppose the U.S. House votes last week to block the Environmental Protection Agency from updating clean air safeguards needed to protect the health of Americans, according to major new Public Policy Polling (PPP) survey results released last week by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
The survey results show that all 19 of the House members–including U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, and Tea Party leader Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn–who supported blocking the EPA are out of step with their constituents.
Nationwide, about six out of 10 Americans (58%)–including 55 percent of Independents and roughly half (48%) of Republicans–oppose the U.S. House vote to “block the EPA from limiting carbon dioxide pollution,” according to the survey of 784 registered voters conducted February18-20, 2011 by PPP for NRDC. Additionally, more than two thirds of Americans (68%)–including 54% of Republicans and 59% of Independents–said the EPA should move ahead to “reduce carbon pollution without delay.”
In separate surveys conducted in 19 Congressional Districts, PPP asked registered voters if they agreed with their member of Congress’ decision to vote for legislation barring the EPA from updating clean air safeguards. In all 19 districts polled, respondents across the political spectrum said they oppose their representative’s votes to handcuff the EPA and think instead that Congress should let the agency do its job of protecting public health and the environment.
The average level of public opposition to the anti-EPA votes across the 19 Congressional Districts was 66%–including 45% of Republicans and 62% of Independents. A full overview of the 19 surveys is available here.
Oil Groups Begin Political Giving
The largest oil and gas industry trade group will begin backing political candidates this year as public debate turns to the idea of cutting $46 billion in subsidies for the industry and establishing stronger pollution regulations.
Bloomberg reports that the American Petroleum Institute (API) will begin making donations on it own for the first time–separate from the millions given primarily to Republican candidates last year by industry members like Exxon Mobil (NYSE: XOM) and Chevron (NYSE: CVX).
API already has paid for advertising on political issues. But in May 2010 the group filed with the Federal Election Commission and will begin distributing donations to lawmakers in the second quarter of this year.
Oil and gas companies were the 15th largest source of political contributions leading up to the 2010 election.
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