Poll: California Voters Support Global Warming Policies
A new statewide poll finds California voters are strongly behind the state's policies to reduce the release of global warming gasses. That support remains strong even if those policies drive up the cost of gas and electricity.
Pollster David Metz says nearly 80 percent of the state's residents they talked to support new greenhouse gas rules being considered by state regulators. He says that support dropped if the changes lead to higher energy prices, but only to 58 percent.
Metz: Given the level of concern about gas prices, these days, again, its not surprising that this cost element does lead to a lower level of support. But it’s still striking that even after we introduce this we still have a clear majority of voters who say yes even in the face of increased costs, we think that this law should be implemented."
California officials are considering new rules and market mechanisms that'll help trim the state's greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent. They hope to roll back the amount of carbon released into the air to 1990 levels.
