Clean Air, Water Standards Important to Undecided Voters

By Matt Abele
Multimedia Communications intern, Fall 2012/Spring 2013

In light of the upcoming national elections, the National Resource Defense Council’s Action Fund investigated how undecided voters view some of today’s key environmental concerns. Public Policy Polling polled over 22,000 likely voters in eight battleground states, including Ohio and Virginia. These polls came back overwhelmingly in favor of candidates who support clean air standards and clean energy policies.

In these states, 60 percent of those polled favored reducing toxic mercury pollution from power plants and increasing fuel efficiency standards. A majority also favored stronger limits on carbon pollution and supported greater incentives for renewable energy.

Undecided voters were also asked how they would vote for candidates based on clean energy investments and the EPA’s role in protecting our resources. Fifty-three percent favored candidates who back increased incentives for renewables, and 72 percent believed that the EPA should protect “the air we breathe and water we drink.”

Overall, the message is clear from this polling and can best be summed up by a statement from NRDC Action Fund director Heather Taylor-Miesle: “Most Americans want clean air and energy and want polluters held accountable for the pollution they dump in our communities.”

For more information, visit: nrdcactionfund.org/undecidedvoters