In a statewide telephone poll of 500 registered voters, 88
percent supported wind power in Maine.
Calls to residents in seven rural "rim"
counties, from Aroostook to Oxford, where most wind
power projects are built or planned, showed 83
percent in support.
The survey was done by Portland-based Pan Atlantic SMS
Group for the Maine Renewable
Energy Association, a trade group whose members
include wind power developers and construction
companies. The group said it commissioned the poll
to learn whether recent, critical media coverage of
land-based wind power was translating into negative public
opinion.
"We saw an uptick in coverage of opponents and wanted
to know if there was something developers needed to be
aware of," said Jeremy Payne, the association's
executive director.
The poll is the first in Maine to ask multiple questions
specifically on wind power. Its findings are in line with
high levels of support shown in surveys by Critical
Insights earlier this year and last fall.
The association's poll was done in April and May,
coinciding with non-stop news about the runaway oil
spill in the Gulf
of Mexico.
The wind
power industry may have benefited from daily images
of environmental
disaster, Payne acknowledges. Of 12 statements read
in the survey, the view that wind energy will reduce
dependence on fossil fuels was cited as the top reason by
supporters.
That point edged out a statement about creating 2,000 jobs
in Maine, which Payne considers surprising in hard economic
times.
"The oil spill certainly shines a bright light on the
impact fossil fuels can have on the environment," he
said.
But critics who are fighting to keep hundreds of turbines
from being built along the state's mountain ridges say the
fossil-fuel claims downplay, among other things, the
continued need for oil and natural
gas to generate power in the region when the wind
isn't blowing.
Also, opponents find the timing of the poll to be more
than a coincidence.
Gathering opinions when people are sensitized to the oil
spill "makes the public vulnerable to hyped solutions
and to the wind industry propaganda," said Dr.
Monique Aniel, a spokeswoman for the Citizens' Task Force
on Wind Power.
Lawmakers and the outgoing administration of Gov.
John Baldacci have set an ambitious goal of adding
3,000 megawatts of land-based wind
power capacity by 2020. Opponents continue to
challenge the widespread development of wind power,
raising concerns that include the visual impact and nearby
residents' complaints about low-frequency noise.
But those concerns aren't widely shared, according to the
poll's findings. Nearly three-quarters of the respondents
said they would support wind projects near where they live
or visit frequently. Support was nearly as high in the rim
counties.
Companies have invested $750 million in wind
energy projects in Maine. But Payne said the
industry hasn't done a good job of conveying the economic
benefits of wind power.
One finding of the poll is that three-quarters of
residents agree that wind energy projects will bring more tax
revenue to the state and host communities.
The industry will share its findings with policymakers in
Augusta, and with candidates in November's elections.
One survey question asked about respondents' likelihood of
voting for a legislative candidate who supports wind
power; 59 percent said they would be more likely to vote
for that person.
One way to interpret the findings is that people
understand all energy sources have impacts, but wind power
is less damaging, said Jack Parker, president and chief
executive officer of the Reed & Reed
construction firm in Woolwich.
Reed & Reed, which helped build most of the state's wind
farms, is circulating a video it produced about the
economic benefits of projects near Danforth and Stratton.
It's called "Catching
the Wind: A Tale of Two Towns."
Together, the poll and the video are meant to show that
there's strong support for wind power in Maine.
"People running for office need to know that,"
Parker said.