This post includes climate and environment headlines, data points, and key takeaways from recent public polls - including new polling on polluter accountability, new message testing about pausing liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, and newly released state-level polling on carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

HEADLINES

Data for Progress
Voters overwhelmingly want stronger accountability for polluters, including compensation for damages to the environment and local communities; most disapprove of the court decision to block an investigation of environmental injustices in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” [Release, Report, Crosstabs]

LCV
In communications about President Biden’s pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, voters are most swayed by messaging about health [Release]

[CO, LA, TX, & WY] National Wildlife Federation + Data for Progress
Voters widely support carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects in key states where they are being considered [Release, Report]

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Voters across the political spectrum continue to want a tougher stance against corporate polluters. Even in today’s fractious political climate, Data for Progress finds that there is overwhelming, bipartisan agreement on the need for stronger accountability for companies that pollute our air and water. Large majorities of voters of all political affiliations support polluter accountability measures such as requirements for oil and gas companies to compensate for damages to the environment and local communities, and increased fines for oil and gas companies that repeatedly break local pollution rules. There is very little sympathy for corporate polluters from any section of the electorate, as voters are unified in wanting elected officials to take a tougher stance against these companies.
Public health stands out as the strongest rationale for pausing methane gas export projects. This is the result of extensive message testing commissioned by LCV about President Biden’s pause on liquefied natural gas (LNG) export projects, which finds that the following message on the topic resonates above all others among Americans nationwide and among nearly every demographic subgroup: “President Biden just paused the development of new methane gas facilities because they would pump toxic pollution into the air, putting more people at risk for getting sick with illnesses like respiratory disease, heart disease and cancer.” (Note that the message uses the term “methane gas” rather than “natural gas,” as the public often misinterprets “natural” gas to be a clean source of energy.) 

GOOD DATA POINTS TO HIGHLIGHT

[Polluter Accountability] 86% of voters support enforcing increasingly higher fines on oil and gas companies that operate facilities that frequently break local pollution rules, including 89% of Democrats, 88% of independents, and 83% of Republicans [Data for Progress]
[Polluter Accountability] 85% of voters support requiring oil and gas companies to compensate for the damage they may have caused to the environment or local communities, including 90% of Democrats, 85% of independents, and 80% of Republicans [Data for Progress]

[Polluter Accountability] 76% of voters support permanently shutting down facilities that have been repeat offenders of illegal polluting and revoking their permits to operate in the state, including 85% of Democrats, 77% of independents, and 67% of Republicans [Data for Progress]

[CDR] Large majorities of voters in Colorado (78%), Texas (78%), Louisiana (75%), and Wyoming (68%) support allowing carbon dioxide removal sites to be built in their state [NWF + Data for Progress]