A January 2010 poll conducted on behalf of the Maryland State Builders Association asked 816 registered voters whether Governor Martin O’Malley should give higher priority to creating jobs or reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay.

Seventy-seven percent of respondents said they believe O’Malley should be taking steps to create jobs and improve the state’s economy, while 15 percent of respondents answered that it was more important for the governor to take strides toward reducing pollution in the Bay.  Eight percent of those polled had no answer.

Fifty-five percent of respondents said Maryland should wait for better economic conditions before enacting new Bay cleanup and restoration initiatives, while 31 percent of respondents believe new regulations should be enacted today.

In response to this poll, The Chesapeake Bay Foundation wrote on the organization’s blog that the poll “creates a false conflict between a clean environment and a healthy economy.

“In fact, reducing pollution in the Chesapeake Bay improves the state’s economy. Clean water is vital to the seafood industry in Maryland, among many other sectors,” the foundation said.

An interesting part of the poll asked what voters thought most negatively impacts the Bay. Forty-seven percent of respondents said runoff from agricultural fertilizers harms the Bay the most. Eighteen percent said home lawn treatments had the most adverse effect on the Bay, while 15 percent believe that commercial construction is the cause for most of the Bay’s decline. Five percent said home construction was the cause, while three percent attributed recreational and commercial boat use as the reason for the Bay’s poor health.

What should O’Malley’s priorities be this year? What do you think some of the biggest players in Bay contamination are, and how can they be better managed?