"Doesn't believe in science" is pretty reductionist here. Most Democrats and Republicans, like everyone else, is operating with heuristics about which risks ar

"Doesn't believe in science" is pretty reductionist here. Most Democrats and Republicans, like everyone else, is operating with heuristics about which risks are especially salient and concerning. Those heuristics are influenced by social biases. Democrats are more likely to be enthusiastic about the practice of science than Republicans, but that doesn't mean that Democrats always carefully and dispassionately weigh risks as estimated by scientists, or that Republicans always learn about scientists' suggestions and then do the exact opposite. One thing that you're seeing here is that Republicans have a social bias toward seeing industry and products of industry as not that risky, while Democrats have a reverse bias. In some cases (like nuclear energy and genetic engineering) the Republicans' bias may help them, while in others (like fossil fuels) the Democrats' bias may help them.