Findings from a CLOSUP public opinion survey served as the basis for a Michigan Daily story published yesterday that discussed the implications of the Clean Power Plan and its potential impact on Michigan.
In “Survey finds support for federal emission limits,” reporter Emma Kinery cites several key findings from the survey, including that 67 percent of Americans support the Clean Power Plan, and 73 percent support requiring significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from new power plants.
The Obama Administration created the Clean Power Plan in June 2014 to increase efforts to curb carbon emissions. By 2030, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hopes the plan will have reduced emissions from electricity-generating facilities by 30 percent from 2005 output levels.
Kinery interviewed State Rep. Jeff Irvin (D-Ann Arbor) and Nic Clark, state director for Clean Water Action, both of whom discussed the Clean Power Plan and shared their thoughts on the survey’s findings.
Clark said he was not surprised by the high public support environmental measures. “Resoundingly, when we go out and talk about issues of our changing climate, such as emissions from coal-fired power plants, people really see it as a no-brainer and are very supportive of measures to reduce our impact on our changing climate,” Clark is quoted as saying in the story.
The CLOSUP survey was conducted with the Institute of Public Opinion at Muhlenberg College (Allentown, Penn.) from Oct. 6, 2014 – Nov. 6, 2014. Pollsters spoke with a random sample of 942 Americans, and report a 3.5 percent margin of error.
The Ford School's Center for Local, State, and Urban Policy (CLOSUP) conducts, supports and fosters applied academic research to inform local, state, and urban policy issues