Americans Would Support Higher Gas Tax to Reduce Global Warming

Americans are generally opposed to raising the federal tax on gasoline, but a majority would support a gasoline tax increase if they knew the money would be used to reduce global warming or to lessen United States dependence on foreign oil, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll conducted in late February 2006.
The Pros and Cons of Raising the Federal Gasoline Tax
Advocates of a higher gasoline tax tend to argue that raising the tax will cause people to drive less, reduce gasoline consumption, and provide more money for transportation priorities. People who oppose a gasoline tax increase generally argue that taxes are too high already and should be reduced, or that a higher tax on gasoline would fall hardest on those who can least afford it.

Environment High in Personal Values, Low in Political Priorities for U.S. Voters

Almost everybody claims to care about the environment, but when it comes to voting not many Americans actually do anything about it.
A 2005 survey of 800 registered U.S. voters, commissioned by the Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University, found that 79 percent favor “stronger national standards to protect our land, air and water, with 40 percent strongly favoring them. But only 22 percent allowed their environmental concerns to significantly influence their choice of candidates in federal, state and local elections.
Environmentalists Don't Always Vote Green
Even among people who described themselves as environmentalists, only 39 percent were able to recall an election in which a candidate’s environmental position ranked among the top two or three reasons for the way the cast their vote.
“There is a clear disconnect here,” said William K. Reilly, former head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and chair of the advisory board of the Nicholas Institute. “Seventy-four percent of Republicans and 85 percent of Democrats say they support stronger environmental standards. Yet, when it comes time to vote, they rank the environment low on their list of priorities.”

Toxic Cloud Rises Over London as Fuel Fire Rages

A fire at a fuel depot in Hertfordshire caused a series of explosions that sent a cloud of toxic smoke into the air over London, raising concerns about public health. Officials said the fire at the Buncefield fuel depot, a 100-acre facility and the fifth largest storage facility in the U.K., is the worst industrial fire in Europe since 1945.