Last fall, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine Pulp & Paper Association were strolling hand-in-hand in support of the Compact for Maine’s Forests — the late Compact for Maine’s Forests.
So on Wednesday, NRCM releases a poll proving that some 84 percent of Mainers believe it is important (either very or somewhat) that the Legislature act now to protect the forests from excessive clearcutting and other nasty practices. MPPA fires back with a scorching criticism of the NRCM methodology and with a poll of its own proving most Mainers want the Legislature to back off. A budding romance apparently is Splitsville.
The NRCM poll is based upon a random telephone sampling of 400 Maine residents interrupted while having dinner. That’s probably an adequate number for professional pollsters, but one has to wonder why the council doesn’t just go with the granddaddy of random samples; the roughly 330,000 Mainers who bothered to vote last Nov. 4.
More than 52 percent, some 173,000 individuals, said “no” to the Compact. Of that, some believed the Compact did not go far enough to protect the forests, some believed it went too far in giving the government control over private property. While it is difficult to quantify which group was larger, county-by-county and town-by-town results, with the Compact getting hammered harder and harder the deeper one went into the woods, strongly suggest the property-rights forces struck the decisive blow. They are devoted to their cause and they vote. Asking lawmakers to take up serious forestry measures so soon after that vote is asking a lot.
The Compact lost because its supporters squandered a fortune in money and high-profile political clout trying to convince the public it went far enough. They totally ignored the property-rights concerns and paid the price.
By combining the “yes” votes and the “no, doesn’t go far enough” Compact votes, it is clear most Mainers want more protection for the forests, just as NRMC claims. But Pulp & Paper is right to slam the poll, not because of the small sample or because the questions may have been a bit leading. The flaw is in failing to ask the question that needs answering: “Do you believe it is important (very or somewhat) to protect the rights of private property owners?”
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