Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, August 3, 1994 TAG: 9408030071
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Shepherd was dismissed Monday after 15 years as chief overseer of air quality in the Roanoke and New River valleys.
Reached at home Tuesday, Shepherd said he told citizens at a recent public hearing in Radford about a disagreement between his office and higher-ups in Richmond over a permit.
His office wanted to require additional pollution control measures before issuing a permit to Lynchburg Foundry, an iron-casting factory. Richmond officials questioned whether the requirements should be made part of the permit, Shepherd said.
At a public hearing on the permit last month, he disclosed a series of internal memos that described the debate.
"There was a concern ... that we put out some information that maybe we shouldn't have," Shepherd said.
Agency director Peter W. Schmidt, in town Monday for a visit to the Roanoke regional offices, met with Shepherd to discuss the matter. He later called Shepherd from Richmond and fired him.
Schmidt, appointed two months ago by Gov. George Allen, said he regretted having to dismiss Shepherd. "When you are going forward as an organization ... you have to have a unified position in what you're doing," he said.
Shepherd will receive 30 days' pay as severance, but was told to leave the job immediately.
"In this case, I thought it was fairest ... to not have him physically in the office," Schmidt said.
The move seems to indicate the breadth and depth of the Allen administration's realignment of the state's bureaucracy. In the past couple of weeks, Schmidt has dismissed at least five of the agency's top administrators and has revealed plans to reorganize the department.
The Lynchburg Foundry permit, which allows the company to replace some outdated equipment, was issued last week, and spokeswoman Jan Toennisson said the company was pleased with the result.
Shepherd said he, too, is pleased with the permit, and gave his staff credit for working almost around the clock to issue it in a timely manner. "We didn't cut any corners," he added.
"There are a lot of good people at DEQ ... they really care about the environment and people's jobs," he said.
Shepherd, 44, graduated in environmental engineering from West Virginia University and worked for five years in North Carolina's environmental agency before coming to Roanoke.
He has served many years on the American Lung Association Virginia's chapter. He plans to stay in the area.
by CNB