Washington (Platts)--30Aug2010/536 pm EDT/2136 GMT

The Natural Resources Defense Council is hoping that a new poll showing that voters favor Obama administration action on carbon emissions will help ward off congressional efforts to prevent that regulation. "We think it puts wind in our sails," said NRDC spokesman Edwin Chen. The survey, conducted by the Benenson Strategy Group, asked 1,401 voters whether the federal government should step up pollution restrictions in general and limits on carbon emissions in particular According to a memo released by the environmental organization, 68% of voters contacted said the federal government should "do more to hold corporations accountable for their pollution," compared to 32% who believe the government should do the same amount or less. Asked specifically about the US Environmental Protection Agency's planned regulation of greenhouse gases, which are set to phase in next year, 51% of respondents said they favored action by the EPA while 40% said they did not. Some 54% of those surveyed said they were confident the EPA would formulate reasonable regulations, while 42% said they were not. Chen said the NRDC hopes voter support for action on emissions linked to climate change will help protect EPA's ability to regulate GHGs. Lawmakers in both the House of Representatives and Senate have proposed legislation in the past year that would strip the EPA of its authority to regulate carbon under the Clean Air Act. Senator John Rockefeller, Democrat-West Virginia, has said he expects Democratic Leader Harry Reid to allow a vote on his bill (S. 3072) this fall. A similar measure (H.R. 4753) has been introduced in the House. Rockefeller's bill would need 60 votes to clear the upper chamber, as all controversial legislation does, however, and even if it meets that high threshold the House is unlikely to act on the bill this Congress. --Jean Chemnick, jean_chemnick@platts.com Similar stories appear in Inside Energy. See more information at http://www.platts.com/Products/insideenergy/