Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 21, 1994                   TAG: 9402160001
SECTION: EDITORIAL                    PAGE: A10   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

WHAT'S IN STORE?

Sounds reasonable. The administration is only days old, and at this point all that is known of Becky Norton Dunlop's agenda is that she wants to implement Allen's agenda, and he wants to give priority to stimulating economic growth.

That's the right priority. Virginia needs economic growth.

Some trepidation also may be reasonable, though. Dunlop is a Reaganite, a proud fan of Reagan's interior secretary, James Watt. Her mentor has been North Carolina's GOP Sen. Jesse Helms, who says he regards her as a daughter and political soulmate.

It would hardly be a personal attack to say these gentlemen have not been known for their sympathy for environmental concerns over the years.

But Dunlop's philosophy of individualism and personal responsibility, and her advocacy of market incentives to advance conservation, don't have to be at odds with a sound environmental policy for Virginia. Economic development must go hand in hand with environmental protection. To encourage the former at the expense of the latter would be to squander the assets of a state rich in natural resources and attractions.

Creating jobs today would be a poor payoff for damaging the environment and economy tomorrow. Witness the degradation of the Chesapeake Bay, where a fishing and recreation economy is threatened not by intrusive regulations but by poor water quality.

On the other hand, market incentives can be a powerful tool - more effective than bureaucratic, controlling regulations - for achieving environmental protection.

Allen takes office as a conservative pledging to stand against special interests for the interests of "the people." It would be comforting to believe that, as conflicts arise, the state's secretary of natural resources would bring to the debate priorities other than short-term economic development. There will be plenty of people in this administration speaking to that need.

It is a major one, but it is not the only one. Long-term economic success will depend on, to quote our new governor, "wise and frugal" use of Virginia's resources.