Bad news for James Inhofe the new Chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton. Increasing numbers of Republicans no longer go along with their party's leaders rejection of climate science.
Poll: Half of Republicans back limits on carbon
By DINA CAPPIELLO
WASHINGTON (AP) — When Republicans take control of Congress next month, top on their agenda will be undoing environmental regulations they claim will harm the economy, chief among them President Barack Obama's plans to limit heat-trapping carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.
The results of a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Yale University show their priorities may be misplaced.
Six in 10 Americans, including half of all Republicans, said they support regulation of carbon dioxide pollution, although they weren't asked how. Nearly half of Republicans said the U.S. should lead the global fight to curb climate change, even if it means taking action when other countries do not. And majorities across party lines said environmental protections "improve economic growth and provide new jobs" in the long run, a popular Obama administration talking point.
"This poll proves that Republicans here in Washington are disconnected from average Republicans across the country," said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., the current chairwoman of the Senate environment panel. "Anyone with a pulse and a heartbeat — with the exception of Republicans in Congress — knows that climate change is upon us, and we must step up and reduce dangerous carbon pollution."
Republicans in congress are far more concerned with pleasing their big donors than wheat the majority of Americans want.
American Attitudes about Global Warming and Energy Policy: Issue Brief
Americans show majority support for some specific policies intended to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, like funding research for clean energy and regulating carbon dioxide emissions. And while Democrats are more likely than Republicans to favor these policies, they each enjoy at least 50 percent support from both parties.
Most Americans would like to see developed or industrialized countries outside the United States and corporations do more than they are now to reduce the effects of global warming.
When it comes to the long-term impact of environmental protections, fewer than 1 in 5 think they will harm the economy. Sixty percent report they will improve economic growth and provide new jobs,22 percent think protections will have no impact on economic growth or jobs, and only 15 percent say they will reduce economic growth and cost jobs.
Americans are mixed on whether construction of the Keystone XL pipeline should proceed, with Republicans more likely than Democrats to support it. Yet just a quarter of Americans are confident it will be a safe way to transport heavy oil.
Clearly there's no consensus among Americans that building the Keystone XL pipeline doesn't pose significant risks, despite congressional Republicans' shrill insistence that building it should go ahead immediately.