Poll: Majority support carbon limits on coal plants

A majority of people in the United States support limiting carbon emissions from existing coal-fired power plants, according to a new poll by Yale University.

Yale found that 64 percent of the public supports strict carbon limits on existing power plants, which the administration is expected to announce on Monday.

{mosads}The new rule will likely be the most controversial of those proposed by President Obama under his climate change agenda, and the administration is expecting heavy opposition from  industry groups and Republicans.

Of the people supporting the new rule, 80 percent were Democrats, 43 percent Republicans, and 50 percent Independents.

The poll, conducted in April, also found that 78 percent of the U.S. public backs regulating carbon dioxide as a pollutant.

Yale’s finding differ greatly from the sentiment expressed on Capitol Hill.

A majority of Republicans, and some pro-energy Democrats, disagree with the administration’s climate agenda, which seeks to reign in the country’s biggest polluters.