Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, October 3, 1993 TAG: 9310030051
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
Pollution prevention? Energy conservation? Recycling? Endangered songbirds?
Hardly a peep has been heard from the candidates on environmental issues - save for brief references to "preserving our natural resources" tucked into long speeches about boosting economic growth. And jobs.
Democrat Mary Sue Terry, asked why she's been almost silent on environmental issues, said the "principal issue on people's minds is jobs . . . and how can we get the economy moving again."
To the same question, Republican candidate George Allen answered: "Well, they haven't come up."
A statewide poll in June showed that the economy and education were uppermost in voters' minds this year. Fewer than 10 percent said the environment, crime, health care, gun control and transportation were important in the governor's race, according to the Mason-Dixon Political/Media Research Inc. poll.
Yet, environmentalists around the state are yearning for leadership on environmental issues that could potentially affect voters throughout the state. And they cite other indications that a majority of Virginians do care about the quality of the environment and protecting natural resources.
Last year, they note, a multimillion-dollar bond referendum for parks and natural areas was approved by 67 percent of the voters. And they recall that a 1991 poll by the Piedmont Environmental Council showed 80 percent of Virginians are willing to pay more to protect the environment.
Asks David Carr, a lawyer with the Charlottesville-based Southern Environmental Law Center: "What is the [next] governor going to do?" . . .
What about reducing air pollution, protecting water quality, granting Virginians more legal latitude in challenging environmental policy decisions?
In 1992, Virginia was ranked 32nd in a nationwide survey by the Institute for Southern Studies that scored states on "green" indicators, including air and water pollution, toxic waste, transportation efficiency and community health.
"If you have a governor who gets in there and says `This is a priority for me,' that sends a message to legislators, to citizens, to industry," said Patti Jackson, executive director of the Lower James River Association.
But if Virginia environmentalists are looking for a "green" candidate in the manner of Al Gore to champion their cause, they may have to wait another four years. Neither Allen nor Terry has made the environment a cornerstone of their campaign platform.
On Oct. 9, a coaltion of groups called the Virginia Environmental Assembly will host a forum on environmental issues, to which they've invited the gubernatorial candidates to debate.Spokesmen with the campaigns said negotiations are underway, but neither candidate has committed to appearing.
In interviews with the Roanoke Times & World-News, Allen and Terry discussed their records and presented views on the environment in general and on specific issues in Western Virginia:
Both candidates espouse a balance between environmental protection and economic growth. Most politicians do. But David Bailey, a senior attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund who oversees Virginia issues, says there's a reverence in Virginia for economic development and industrial interests that indicates a "de facto knowledge that environmental damage is going to be accepted."
Bailey cites the Kim-Stan affair as an example of the state's tendency to favor industry when environmental questions are raised.
For almost two years, state officials knew the privately run landfill in Alleghany County was leaking toxic liquid into a nearby river. Citizens pleaded with the state to shut down the operation, which had racked up six notices of violation from the state's waste and water agencies.
Terry, attorney general during the dispute, defends her record on Kim-Stan. While environmental laws must be enforced, Terry said, her approach to conflicts between environmental protection and continued economic activity has been to try to find solutions to benefit both.
In the case of Kim-Stan, she said, her hands were tied by laws that didn't allow her to pursue it until it had been referred to her office.
Once that took place, her first attempt to resolve the problem was a deal worked out in secret with the owners that allowed the dump to stay open, provided they cleaned it up. Kim-Stan failed to hold up its end of the bargain, and citizen pressure grew. Almost a year later, Terry went to court and forced the landfill to close.
As a result of the episode, Terry sought and won tougher landfill laws, giving state officials greater scrutiny of owners and more authority to shut down leaking dumps.
"Kim-Stan should have been stopped right away," Allen said, although he acknowledged that it was a special situation. Most cases wouldn't merit such draconian measures, he said.
The state should monitor polluters and get them to "do what's right," Allen said. " . . . You don't want to say, `Well, we're going to throw a thousand people out of work because you've had three consecutive violations.' "
He describes himself as a conservationist, promoting efficient and wise use of resources, rather than as an environmentalist. He belongs to Ducks Unlimited and received an award from the Virginia Wildlife Federation in 1991 "which I proudly display in my living room."
Terry, who does not belong to any environmental groups, said she is an environmentalist and a promoter of jobs. "I would never say one without the other," she said. "I've said from the beginning that clean air and clean water alone don't build roads and take care of the sick and educate children. Jobs do that."
The state must streamline its permitting process, where long delays have historically hindered Virginia's ability to attract and keep businesses, she said.
Neither candidate took a position on Appalachian Power Co.'s plan to build a high-voltage transmission line through three Southwest Virginia counties. The project has angered citizens who say the line would damage the environment and pose health hazards.
Terry said the matter is for the State Corporation Commission to decide.
Allen said that, as a congressman representing the 7th District in 1991, he voted for a study to designate a stretch of the New River - where the proposed line would cross - a federal wild and scenic river.
" . . . You ought to take into consideration the impact on . . . the scenic beauty of a river before you put a major power line across it," Allen said.
Power line foes hope such a designation would thwart Apco's plans.
Here are the candidates' responses on other environmental issues.
On energy conservation:
Terry wants to study ways to encourage solar facilities and to develop alternative energy sources. She also wants loans for the purchase of energy-saving devices.
Allen supports a tax credit to promote solar businesses in Virginia, which passed in the General Assembly last session.
As governor, he said, he would audit state-owned buildings to make them energy-efficient. He also said that construction on university and college campuses should meet federal standards for energy efficiency.
On solid waste, recycling and landfills:
Allen said he is looking into the legality of allowing citizens in a community that is being considered for a private landfill to vote in a referendum on the proposal. He opposes a bottle bill, which many states have adopted to reduce litter and promote recycling.
Terry said federal law should be changed to give states that dispose of their own waste the authority to tax or regulate disposal of out-of-state trash. She supports tax incentives for businesses that recycle.
On pollution prevention, which environmentalists say is more cost-effective and better than "end-of-pipe" solutions and cleanups:
"No. 1, we've got to do more with prevention. And No. 2, we've got to do a better job of enforcement," Terry said.
She favors incentives to encourage industries to audit their manufacturing processes to reduce or eliminate toxins and other pollutants, and invest in pollution-prevention technology. She also supports providing technical assistance to small businesses.
She stopped short of saying she would require manufacturers above a certain size to audit their processes, as some states do. She said many large businesses are "leading the way" in environmental compliance because it makes good business sense.
Allen did not address this issue directly, but said he agrees with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's goals for the next governor. The group recommends a strong role for the state to encourage pollution prevention among industry, small businesses, state and local government, universities and farms.
On public access to environmental decision-making:
Virginia is the only state in which only an applicant can appeal the state's decision on a water pollution discharge permit. In other words, citizens, localities - even other industries - downstream from a polluting facility cannot challenge the permit.
At the request of environmental groups, the federal Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing this issue. The EPA could decide to take over the state's water pollution program.
The environmentalists also say that Virginia's proposal to open public access to air pollution permits falls short of federal requirements, and they intend to ask EPA to review the state's air program as well.
"On balance, I think our current policy is sufficient," Allen said. "I would not endeavor to change" it. The concern, as expressed by the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Allen said, is that expanding citizen standing would pave the way for frivolous lawsuits and permitting delays that "would go on forever."
The current permit process must take into account potential adverse effects of pollution downstream or downwind, he said.
However, Allen said he would consider changing the law if the EPA were going to step in.
Terry would not say directly whether she would change the policy. She said she would find ways to increase public participation, but those changes should not delay the permitting process, which is not the proper place for "other agendas to be played out."
She would establish an "ombudsman" program to help businesses and citizens understand the state's environmental program.
On land-use and private-property rights:
The so-called wise-use movement that began out West as a backlash to toughening environmental regulations has taken hold in Virginia. A legislative subcommittee is studying compensating landowners when environmental restrictions may diminish the value of their property. The subcommittee may present draft legislation to the General Assembly in 1994.
Terry did not address these issues directly, but said that all matters of land use should be left to the localities. She encourages intergovernmental cooperation to develop regional planning goals.
Allen said it's difficult to know where to draw the line between private-property rights and the public interest in environmental protection, but that ultimately he believes in the constitutionally guaranteed compensation for a "taking" of private property for a public purpose.
"I'm supportive of property rights. I think it's one of the most significant features of our economic system," he said.
Keywords:
POLITICS
by CNB