06 Jun 2008 Senators Collins and Snowe Out of Step with Maine, Poll Shows

Collins and Snowe Support Lieberman-Warner Global Warming Bill Rejected by Overwhelming Majority in New England

Washington, DC – Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, supporters of America’s Climate Security Act presently scheduled for a key Senate vote at 9 AM Friday, are out of step with a majority of Mainers, according to a new poll released by the National Center for Public Policy Research.

The survey found 63% of likely voters in New England (Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Rhode Island) oppose spending more for gasoline to reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.  55% of likely voters from the region oppose spending more for electricity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

“Econometric studies conducted by researchers at MIT, Duke University, the EPA, the National Association of Manufacturers and others have different estimates of the cost of the America’s Climate Security Act, but they all agree it would increase energy costs,” said David A. Ridenour, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy Research.  “Mainers don’t support further price increases of any kind in either gasoline or electricity.  By supporting this bill — and in Senator Collins’ case, co-sponsoring it — Senators Collins and Snowe are acting directly contrary to the wishes of their constituents.”

The America’s Climate Security Act (S. 3036) — also called “Lieberman-Warner” after chief sponsors Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA) — would place strict caps on the amount of greenhouse gas emissions that power plants, fuel refiners and producers, chemical producers and other manufacturers may release into the atmosphere.  The proposal — frequently referred to as a “cap-and-trade” plan — would also establish an emissions trading system that would permit companies that emit fewer greenhouse gases than they are allowed to sell the excess portion to companies exceeding their allowances.  The Act’s sponsors claim the bill would reduce U.S. greenhouse gas emissions up to 63% by 2050.

“The Lieberman-Warner bill would ration power, raise the cost of energy and consumer goods, and effectively impose the largest tax increase in history on the American people,” said Ridenour.  “Americans are already struggling with rising costs.  The least their elected representative can do is not make matters worse.”

“Senators Collins and Snowe would not just make matters worse, but for no reason whatsoever,” Ridenour added.  “Even if the Lieberman-Warner targets for reducing greenhouse emission could be met — and they can’t — any reductions in global temperatures would be imperceptible.”

The poll questions and cross-tabs are available at www.nationalcenter.org.

The National Center is a non-partisan educational foundation based in Washington, DC and established in 1982.  It is a truly independent foundation, with approximately 99% of its funding coming from some 72,000 individual active donors.

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For more specific information about the poll: The text of the questions asked in the poll can be found here (pdf). The cross-tabs can be found here (pdf).