Comments

1
So, no 2/3 majority for the deaths of lots of WA kids?
2
"The other 50 percent is made up of folks who don't support the terminal (32 percent) or are not ready to pick a side (19 percent)."

So you'll just claim all the undecideds and write your headline that the poll is split.

thanks for the laugh.
3
“The United States Energy Information Administration released a report on Tuesday that said China now accounts for 47 percent of global coal consumption, almost equal to all other countries in the world combined. Coal consumption in China grew by more than 9 percent in 2011, or 325 million tons, which equaled 87 percent of the total global rise in coal use.”

“Beijing Takes Emergency Steps to Fight Smog,” NY Times, Jan. 30. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/world/…
5
The coal coming through our region and polluting the areas along the tracks is being shipped to China, which uses at least 40% of the coal being mined in the world. There are areas of China where residents can barely breathe or see due to pollution. All in all, "clean" coal is a really great idea.
6
So how does the Elway Poll work—you subscribe to the newsletter and can blog selected results? (I notice there's no link; Erica Barnett at SeattleMet didn't have one three hours ago either.)
7
Your headline is misleading. Um, no, the poll is not "split". Not unless you assume that ALL of the undecided are opposed, which is clearly not the case.

What this really shows is that opponents have a lot of work to do to convince the public this is a bad idea (which it is).
8
A split doesn't have to be an even break. Voters are split three ways, and the post is clear in the first paragraph how voters are divided.
9
Take Seattle out of the equation. Restore the eastside rail line, and run the trains through Renton, Bellevue and Woodinville, then over to Everett. Problem solved!
10
Additionally, we should consider that the people who do accept calls from blocked numbers or people they don't know on cell phones, is smaller among younger people, so the oversampling of younger voters only oversamples people who are a. gullible b. lonely c. amazed by cell phones d. answer polls.

the only true unbiased way to poll is to literally talk to people physically, and make sure you include homeless people and illegal immigrants, who may not want to participate.

@7 has a good point. Undecided may mean "not sure if I want dead kids, I'm still listening to the arguments".
11
I was phoned by the Elway pollers on this issue, and told them I was strongly against the coal trains for a number of reasons (local environmental issues, global environmental impact, etc.).
They asked specifically about the impact of "job creation" and the wording seemed pretty clearly intended to push people to make that the key factor in deciding. They didn't ask about the environmental impact in the same detail.
12
I think coal opponents are playing this the wrong way. They need to talk about the traffic backups at the crossings -- hours and hours of them a day -- instead of the contentious he-said, she-said enviro stuff. Should people care about coal consumption in China? Sure. Do they? No.

Instead, explain to them that all post-game traffic for any of our soon-to-be four (or five!) sports teams will have to be routed back up through downtown to get away. Show them that not only does the Port of Seattle not get any of the business, but the trains in fact will drive business away from the port -- a great deal for Long Beach, but not us.

Job killer.
13
Catalina, the geezers that have been operating the GNP (now Eastside Community Rail) would love nothing better than to be allowed to play railroad with five or twenty trains a day instead of the one a week they have now.

Their track, the ex BNSF that they acquired from the Port of Seattle is in such sad shape they'd never, ever be allowed to do that.
14
Dr, I was being a wee bit facetious there, but only a wee bit. The idea of a seven mile long coal train running through Bellevue and past some of the rather tony homes along parts of that trackage makes me giggle. Especially when those homeowners notice that their eggshell upholstery has turned ecru.

Actually, if we wanted to do rail right in this country, we would turn the curiously named John Wayne Trail back into a functioning rail line. That was the best crossing of the Cascades, and one of the best lines in the west. Of course, then we'd have to fight to keep coal trains out of the Cedar River Watershed.
15
"the post is clear"

So why not headline it "Most Washingtonians support coal trains"?
16
@15) It doesn't show that "most Washingtonians support coal trains": majority > 50 percent.
17
@12. For the insightful miles long commuter backup from coal trains win.

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