Public Resource
Poll: Voters Support Making Oil and Gas Companies Pay a Share of Climate Costs Caused by Pollution
Kevin Hanley. Data for Progress
Nearly two-thirds of voters support legislation to make polluters pay for climate damages. Roughly three-quarters of voters (66% support / 26% oppose) support a bill that would require oil and gas companies to pay a share of the cost of climate damages caused by their pollution. This “polluters pay” legislation also attracts support from across the political spectrum, with nearly nine in ten Democrats (88%), three in five independents (61%), and close to half of Republicans (46%) in favor of it. The poll additionally finds that there are clear electoral benefits for political candidates who make “polluters pay” legislation a priority. More than three in five voters (64%) say that they are more likely to support a candidate for office who will prioritize a policy to make oil and gas companies pay a share of the cost of climate damages caused by their pollution, including 89% of Democrats, 58% of independents, and 42% of Republicans.