New Post-Election Poll: Voters Want Congress to Protect EPA Safeguards and Hold Polluters Accountable

81% concerned polluters have too much influence over EPA; 70% want Congress to stop safeguards from being weakened; 88% support equal pollution safeguards for AI data centers, including 80% of Republicans

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the newly elected Congress prepares to take office, a new nationwide post-election poll finds that voters expect lawmakers to protect public health, prevent the weakening of EPA safeguards, and hold polluting industries accountable. The findings point to a broad public expectation that Congress will address corporate influence over EPA decisions and protect families from the health and financial costs of pollution.

Eighty-eight percent of voters agree that AI data centers and their power plants should follow the same federal pollution safeguards as everyone else and that Americans shouldn’t pay for the AI boom with their health. That includes 80% of Republicans, 86% of independents, and 95% of Democrats. More than three-quarters of voters (77%) strongly agree, while just 3% disagree.

“Voters are giving the new Congress a mandate for change: protect the safeguards that keep families healthy and make sure EPA decisions aren’t driven by polluters,” said Michelle Roos, Executive Director of EPN. “When eight in ten voters are worried that polluting companies have too much influence over EPA, Congress needs to take that seriously. People want an EPA that works for them, not one that leaves them paying the price for pollution through higher medical bills and other health costs.”

Voters Want Accountability for Polluters and Action to Protect Public Health

The survey of 1,577 registered voters, conducted November 5–10 by Change Research for the Environmental Protection Network (EPN), also found:

81% are concerned that polluting companies have too much influence over EPA decisions about toxic chemicals and pollution, including 99% of Democrats, 81% of independents and 63% of Republicans.
70% agree that the newly elected Congress should take action to stop EPA safeguards from being weakened under President Trump, including 75% of independents and 40% of Republicans. Among Republicans, more support congressional action (40%) than oppose it (27%), while 32% neither agree nor disagree.
69% are concerned that weakened EPA safeguards under President Trump will mean higher medical bills for their families, including 49% who are very concerned. Concern is especially high among women (76%) and voters ages 18–34 (80%).

The findings underscore a clear expectation for action from the incoming Congress. Support for stopping EPA safeguards from being weakened is nearly unanimous among Democrats (98%) and extends to three-quarters of independents. Broad concern about polluter influence and overwhelming support for equal pollution safeguards for AI data centers also cut across party lines. Together, the results underscore the importance of congressional oversight of federal decisions affecting pollution protections, power generation, and the rapid expansion of AI data centers.

The Health Costs of the AI Boom

The findings come as the Trump administration seeks to accelerate AI data center construction and power generation while pursuing regulatory changes that could weaken pollution safeguards or create new loopholes for the industry.

In September, EPN released The Hidden Health Costs of AI Data Centers, documenting at least 30 federal actions that could increase pollution-related health risks, including changes affecting power plants, on-site generators, permitting, and public review.

“There’s been a lot of attention to whether the AI boom will raise families’ electricity bills, but far less attention to its pollution and health costs,” said Marc Boom, EPN’s Senior Director of Public Affairs. “Powering these facilities can mean more pollution from power plants and on-site generators. The new Congress should scrutinize federal decisions that weaken pollution safeguards or create loopholes for the industry. The public shouldn’t have to choose between technological progress and clean air.”

EPN and leading national health, environmental, and consumer organizations have called for a Data Center Health Protection Pledge to ensure public health receives the same attention as electricity affordability as AI infrastructure expands.

Poll Methodology: Change Research conducted a nationwide online survey of 1,577 registered voters November 5–10, 2026, using Dynamic Online Sampling. Results were weighted by age, gender, race/ethnicity, education, region, and 2024 presidential vote. The reported overall margin of error is ±2.7 percentage points. Subgroup estimates are less precise. Full methodology here.

[Full Poll Results and Crosstabs]

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About the Environmental Protection Network
The Environmental Protection Network is a nonpartisan organization comprising more than 800 former EPA scientists, toxicologists, chemists, biologists, engineers, and policy analysts — many of whom spent decades as career experts inside the agency. While at EPA they assessed cancer and developmental risks, studied links between pollution and fertility and chronic disease, investigated contaminated communities, and brought enforcement actions to hold corporate polluters accountable. In 2017 they founded EPN to serve as an independent voice promoting science-based policies that protect families’ health.