Poll Shows Strong Bipartisan Support for Chemical Plant Disaster Legislation

Oct. 16, 2013
55 percent of voters support the idea of new safety requirements.

A coalition of more than 100 health, labor, community, environmental justice and public interest organizations released a new national poll showing that U.S. voters strongly support new federal requirements to prevent disasters at facilities that store hazardous chemicals, according to The Coalition to Prevent Chemical Disasters.

The Coalition urged the Obama administration to adopt policies that would require chemical facilities to use safer chemicals and processes where available and affordable.

The poll, conducted by Lake Research Partners  found:

  • 55 percent of likely voters agreed to the idea of new safety requirements, while 7 percent opposed the idea.
  • 59 percent of likely voters agree that federal government “must do more to protect the safety and security of millions of Americans by requiring high-risk chemical facilities to switch to safer processes and chemicals when they are available, effective and affordable.” 
  • 22 percent of likely voters agree that “requiring chemical facilities to switch processes is unnecessary government bureaucracy and too expensive. We cannot afford new burdensome regulations that cost businesses money, raise the prices of goods for consumers, and threaten to cut thousands of jobs."

On Aug. 1, Obama issued an executive order requiring three federal agencies to coordinate their activities to propose new policies that will significantly enhance the safety and security of chemical facilities. Under the order, the EPA and other agencies have until Oct. 31 to identify new policy options and until May 1, 2014, to report their recommendations to the president.

For more information, visit www.preventchemicaldisasters.org.

Sponsored Recommendations

Connect with an Expert!

Our measurement instrumentation experts are available for real-time conversations.

Maximize Green Hydrogen Production with Advanced Instrumentation

Discover the secrets to achieving maximum production output, ensuring safety, and optimizing profitability through advanced PEM electrolysis.

5 Ways to Improve Green Hydrogen Production Using Measurement Technologies

Watch our video to learn how measurement solutions can help solve green hydrogen production challenges today!

How to Solve Green Hydrogen Challenges with Measurement Technologies

Learn How Emerson's Measurement Technologies Tackle Renewable Hydrogen Challenges with Michael Machuca.