Maryland Voters — Even Trumpists — Want the EPA

A majority of Republicans and Democrats oppose attempts to weaken the regulatory power of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to a new poll.

The Environmental Protection Network survey found 76 percent of Trump voters and 86 percent of all voters want legislation such as the Clean Air Act to remain in place.

Matt George, partner and head of research for the communications firm Seven Letter, said the data was collected before President-elect Donald Trump chose former New York Congressman Lee Zeldin to lead the agency.

“The majority of voters really do recognize the value of regulations that keep our air and water clean and keep us healthy,” George reported. “They want to maintain those regulations.”

George noted opposition to weakening the EPA is higher among Latino, suburban, and independent voters who shifted to Republican in this year’s presidential race. According to the League of Conservation Voters, during his time in office, Zeldin repeatedly voted against clean water and clean air legislation.

The latest Environmental Protection Network report found widespread benefits from agency regulations. It projected rules passed during the last four years will save more than 200,000 lives through 2050, prevent more than 100 million asthma attacks, and deliver more than $250 billion in net public health gains each year.

George added support for the EPA has increased since 2017.

“We see that those numbers have only gotten better in 2024,” George explained. “We have one percentage point gain in ‘strengthened’ or ‘expanded,’ but we see that the numbers for ‘weakened’ or ‘eliminated’ have been cut effectively in half.”

The poll found almost two-thirds of voters who supported Trump in the election expressed concern his EPA pick would put the interests of corporations ahead of protecting clean water, clean air and public health.

Maryland has most recently benefited from EPA grants to invest in green infrastructure for electric vehicles and natural solutions to climate change, such as living shorelines and forested buffers.

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