Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 3, 1994 TAG: 9408030066
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Peter W. Schmidt said the state will be divided into six regions, reflecting the major watersheds. Each region will have a single director for all air, waste and water issues, Schmidt said.
The regional offices will focus on issuing permits and conducting inspections, while compliance and enforcement will be concentrated in the Richmond headquarters.
"The whole interest is to get as much out into the regions as we can," he said, ``and have Richmond support the regions, rather than dictating.''
He did not say whether the plan includes job cuts, but intimated that some positions may be eliminated or transferred. Schmidt, in his nine weeks in office, has fired at least five top officials, and Monday fired Don Shepherd, Roanoke's regional director for the air division.
"My intention is not to eviscerate DEQ, but to make it as efficient and well-functioning as I can," Schmidt said.
The agency was born April 1, 1993, after the General Assembly voted to merge four different agencies - the state Water Control Board, the Air Pollution Control Board, Waste Management and the Council on the Environment.
Regional boundaries were shuffled but were not consistent for the air, waste and water regulatory bodies. Also, each region had three directors, one each for air, waste and water.
In a jab at the previous Democratic administration, Schmidt said his plan won't confuse agency employees or its customers, but will accomplish only what was originially intended.
"All this was supposed to take place on April 1, 1993, and it didn't happen," he said. "It just stopped dead in its tracks as soon as it was formed."
He said he's moving as fast as he can to streamline the agency. He plans to appoint the six regional directors by September, drawing from internal and external candidates.
The separate offices in each region probably won't be under the same roof until next summer because of various building leases, he said.
In each regional office, employees working on air, waste and water permits will work in the same room or area. In the same building - but in a different room - will be air, water and waste inspectors. The idea is to "have some sort of cross-pollination, if you will," Schmidt said.
The regional offices will be in Abingdon, Roanoke, Bridgewater, Northern Virginia, Richmond and Tidewater.
by CNB