Immediately following the announcement of new rules that would limit carbon emissions from power plants, Republicans slammed the Obama administration’s effort as a job-killer and vulnerable red state Democrats distanced themselves from the President.
But a new ABC/Washington Post poll released Monday found that the majority of Americans back limits on carbon emissions, even those who live in red states.
According to the poll, 70 percent of Americans believe the government should limit greenhouse gas emissions. And in states carried by Mitt Romney in 2012, 68 percent support emission limits, as the Post’s Greg Sargent noted.
Americans even support regulation of greenhouse gas emissions if it leads to a pricier electric bill. Sixty percent of Americans in red states back regulation that would increase their monthly electric bill by $20 per month.
Even in coal states like West Virginia, where Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin denounced the new rules, Americans backed curbing carbon emissions. Among Americans living in states where most electricity is produced by burning coal, 69 percent support limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
ABC and the Washington Post surveyed 1,002 adults May 29-June 1 via phone with a margin of error plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.
