Last year, a coalition of over 20 states launched a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to block the implementation of the Clean Power Plan (CPP), which establishes the first-ever limits on carbon pollution from U.S. power plants. Now, Bloomberg Philanthropies has released the results of a new poll examining voter attitudes toward the CPP in four key states that are part of the lawsuit: Florida, Michigan, Missouri and Wisconsin.
According to Bloomberg Philanthropies, the polling has found widespread support for the CPP and showed that the attorneys general in the states, which filed the legal challenge on behalf of their respective states, are out of step with their constituents.
In fact, the survey found 73% of voters in Florida support the CPP, followed by 72% in Michigan, 68% in Wisconsin and 64% in Missouri.
Additionally, the poll has found that the majority of voters in Florida, Michigan and Wisconsin, and a plurality of Missouri voters, were more likely to vote for a presidential candidate who also supported the plan: 58% in Florida, 52% in Michigan, 50% in Wisconsin and 49% in Missouri.
The poll was conducted just before the historic signing of the Paris Agreement on Earth Day and comes after the U.S. Supreme Court temporarily halted the CPP in February.
“Bloomberg Philanthropies believes in climate action from the bottom up, and the Clean Power Plan is a critical tool for state and local leaders to plan for a clean energy future,” says Antha Williams, environment program lead at Bloomberg Philanthropies. “Since 2011, our founder Mike Bloomberg has pledged over $100 million to support the transition away from coal and towards more renewable electricity, beginning with local action by community groups and city officials and including the engagement of both businesses and regulators. We are not surprised to see that the majority of residents in these four states want the CPP enacted now.”
Conducted by Forward Intelligence, the poll surveyed a sample size of 801 registered voters in each respective state.
