Voters disagree with GOP on environment, liberal group says

The liberal Center for American Progress (CAP) released a survey Thursday finding that voters disagree with major Republican positions on energy and the environment.

The poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates, found strong public support for policies that encourage renewable energy, protect public land and improve energy efficiency, the CAP said.

{mosads}“Americans are placing high value on environmental protections and on transitioning to renewable energy sources over the coming years,” Geoffrey Garin, president of Hart Research Associates, said in a statement from the CAP.

“In this public opinion landscape, efforts in the new Congress to promote an anti-environmental agenda that benefits fossil-fuel corporations will be out of step with the priorities of most Americans.”

At least 70 percent of respondents said the United States should rely more on solar and wind energy, strengthen air and water pollution protections, permanently protect lands like wilderness and national monuments, and increase car and truck fuel efficiency, the CAP said.

The organization accused the Republicans who now control both chambers of Congress of fighting against those positions and supporting policies that help major fossil fuel companies and polluters.

“The new Congress is already moving quickly on an agenda backed by fossil-fuel interests that would weaken protections for clean air and clean water, roll back investments in renewable energy, fast track exports of American oil, and prioritize special interest giveaways on America’s public lands,” former Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, a CAP adviser, said in the statement.

“The fossil-fuel agenda of the new Congress is out of step with public opinion and it’s out of step with the priorities of middle-class families who want more renewable energy, cleaner air for their kids, and places that will be set aside for future generations to enjoy.”