The Hill News

Every shred of public polling shows that the American voter is unhappy with Congress. However, an area that has historically been a clear point of partisanship is surprisingly bi-partisan according to a poll we released today. By a wide margin, voters of both political parties disagree with Congress’ anti-Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) agenda and support the EPA’s new rules to limit air pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The poll, conducted on behalf of Ceres from Aug. 31 to Sept. 7, gauged voters’ feelings about two EPA clean air rules - the Cross State Air Pollution Rule (CSAPR) and the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule (also known as the Utility MACT). The first rule will require significant reductions in harmful power plant emissions, mostly from coal-fired generators, that drift hundreds of miles downwind and across state lines. The second rule will require power plants to curb toxic emissions of mercury, lead, arsenic and acid gases! by 2015. Many of the power plants impacted by these rules are more than 50 years old.

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