Americans are cool with paying more for energy if it means saving the planet, a new poll from Bloomberg found.
Respondents agreed, 62 percent to 33 percent, that they would shoulder increased costs if it lead to a reduction in carbon emissions: the bargain, in other words, put forward by the EPA with its new regulations for existing power plants.
That means regardless of whether our energy bills skyrocket, as some critics claim, or EPA administrator Gina McCarthy’s assertion that “any small short-term change in electricity prices would be within normal fluctuations the power sector has already dealt with for years” is borne out, the majority of voters recognize that this is a sacrifice worth making.
“It is a rare poll where people responding will stand up and say ‘tax me,’” J. Ann Selzer, who conducted the poll, told Bloomberg.
