Commissioner S. Russell Sylva has said his department would have trouble with the costly and demanding task of meeting quotas.

Laura Barrett, speaking for the Massachusetts Hazardous Waste Campaign, another ad hoc coalition, said it is illegal in Massachusetts to allocate funds by ballot, and that the measure's requirements are meant to spur the DEQE to action. "We went to the ballot process because we have been going to the legislature for the past three years [without success]," she said.

These contentions may become irrelevant, since several polls indicate that the measure is the most likely of the referendum questions to pass.

Question 5, which returns the year-old law requiring seat belt use to the voters, is opposed through the libertarian argument that it intrudes on motorists' privacy and could set a dangerous precedent. Advocates cite a drop of 500 in the number of serious traffic injuries over the first four months after the seat belt ordinance took effect.

Question 6, on voter registration by mail, has met little opposition, but according to the Boston Globe's recent poll, only 2 percent of Massachusetts voters knew the question was on the ballot at all.

Question 7 and 8 are non-binding "legislative advisory" questions. Both are considered likely to pass. Many labor and liberal organizations, as well as the governor and both Massachusetts U.S. Senators, support Question 7, which would advise the Massachusetts legislature and Congress that voters favor national health insurance. Question 8 favors a national program to combat acid rain.