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June 1, 2014: The coal-fired Plant Scherer is photographed in Juliette, Ga.(AP)

WASHINGTON When Republicans take control of Congress next month, top on their agenda will be undoing environmental regulations they claim will harm the economy, chief among them President Barack Obama's plans to limit heat-trapping carbon pollution from coal-fired power plants.

The results of a new poll from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and Yale University show their priorities may be misplaced.

Six in 10 Americans, including half of all Republicans, said they support regulation of carbon dioxide pollution, although they weren't asked how. Nearly half of Republicans said the U.S. should lead the global fight to curb climate change, even if it means taking action when other countries do not. And majorities across party lines said environmental protections "improve economic growth and provide new jobs" in the long run, a popular Obama administration talking point.

The picture of Republicans that emerges from the poll runs counter to the monolithic view of Republicans in Washington as a global warming-doubting, anti-environmental regulation party keen on attacking Obama's environmental plans. And the results come as the Obama administration continues to forge ahead on its own with aggressive plans on climate change, even if it means going head-to-head with a Republican-controlled Congress that could derail the administration's environmental legacy.

"The American people have made it clear they know climate change is real, and that we can protect the planet and grow the economy at the same time," Frank Benenati, a White House spokesman, said after reviewing the poll results. "Climate deniers in Congress and those who would try to block efforts to address the climate challenge would do well to listen."

Still, climate change itself ranked near the bottom of environmental problems tested in the poll.

"Global warming was second to last among environmental issues. That is all you need to know," said Mike McKenna, a GOP pollster and consultant.

In recent weeks and months, the White House has announced a deal with China to curb the greenhouse gases blamed for global warming and pledged $3 billion to a fund that helps poor countries prepare for climate change, further irking Republicans after a near sweep in the midterm elections.

The divisions between Republicans and Democrats on global warming are real, the poll shows, and stark. A little over a quarter of Republicans believe global warming is an extremely or very serious problem, compared with 64 percent of Democrats. And while nearly three-quarters of Democrats believe global warming is happening, less than half of Republicans do.

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