Poll: Most voters want a robust EPA, more pollution controls
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Nationwide, 76 percent of Trump voters and 86 percent of all voters oppose attempts to weaken the Environmental Protection Agency, according to a new poll commissioned by the Environmental Protection Network.
President-elect Donald Trump last month announced former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin as his pick to run the EPA.
Matt George, partner and head of research for the firm Seven Letter, said the data show the vast majority of voters want legislation such as the Clean Air Act to remain in place, and want strengthened regulations to curb pollution.
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"The majority of voters really do recognize the value of regulations that keep our air and water clean and keep us healthy," George reported. "They want to maintain those regulations."
The poll also found opposition to weakening the EPA is higher among Latino, suburban and independent voters who shifted Republican in this year's presidential election. Critics of a second Trump administration said the president-elect wants to dismantle the EPA by significantly cutting staff and funding. According to the League of Conservation Voters, during his time in office, Zeldin repeatedly voted against clean-water and clean-air legislation.
A recent Environmental Protection Network report found widespread benefits from agency regulations, showing rules passed during the last four years will save more than 200,000 lives through 2050, prevent more than 100 million asthma attacks, and deliver more than $250 billion in net public health gains each year.
George added support for the EPA has increased since 2017.
"We see that those numbers have only gotten better in 2024, in this year where we have one percentage point gain in 'strengthened' or 'expanded,' but we see that the numbers for 'weakened' or 'eliminated' have been cut effectively in half," George explained.
Without knowing who Trump had named as EPA administrator, almost two-thirds of voters who supported Trump in the election expressed concern his EPA pick would put the interests of corporations ahead of protecting clean water, clean air and public health. Last week the agency announced it will likely allow the state of California permission to ban the sales of new gas-powered cars and trucks by 2035.
