Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, June 17, 1995 TAG: 9506200042
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Goodlatte was among four Republicans who joined Payne and a second Democrat in sending a letter Friday asking Gov. George Allen and North Carolina Gov. James Hunt to postpone the decision on the pipeline.
The representatives who signed the letter say that the remaining 10 days before the June 27 deadline for approval of the pipeline compact by both the Virginia and North Carolina legislatures isn't enough time to fully examine all of the issues involved.
Meanwhile, Virginia General Assembly negotiators say they expect a compromise to be reached soon.
Goodlatte said he's not taking a stance on the pipeline's merits. There are legitimate concerns about how the pipeline will affect communities in the Roanoke River basin, including some in his 6th District, he said, so it seemed reasonable to ask for more time to study those possibilities.
The letter recommends examining the use of existing water resources by the Tidewater communities on the receiving end of the proposed pipeline, the impact on the Southside communities that currently get their water from Lake Gaston, and fair compensation to those Southside communities.
"To rush through the legislative process legislation of this importance," the letter reads, "may well have far-reaching negative and unintended consequences in the future."
Payne, who has been outspoken in his opposition to the pipeline, initiated the letter, according to Mark Bowles, a spokesman for his office. The letter also is signed by Eva Clayton, D-Greenville, N.C., Richard Burr, R-Winston-Salem, N.C., David Funderburk, R-Dunn, N.C., and Walter Jones Jr., R-Greenville, N.C.
Glen Downs, Jones' chief of staff, said Jones is hesitant about the idea of the pipeline, but isn't necessarily dead set against it. He said that while everyone who signed the letter has reservations about the project on some level, the letter was written in such a way that people of varying degrees of support or opposition would be willing to sign it.
The proposed agreement calls for the 76-mile pipeline to draw as much as 60 million gallons a day from Lake Gaston. It also would give North Carolina rights to another 15 million gallons from the pipeline and 20 million gallons from the lake, and limit how Roanoke River basin localities may use their water.
Leaders of the Democrat-controlled General Assembly earlier appointed two subcommittees to work out any problems with the proposed agreement.
``It looks very promising,'' Del. George Heilig, D-Norfolk, chairman of the House of Delegates subcommittee, said after a closed-door meeting with Senate colleagues Thursday.
``I think you'll see something soon,'' said Del. Whittington Clement, D-Danville.
The committees have tried to satisfy objections from Norfolk and Southside Virginia. Norfolk would lose some of its right to sell water under the deal, and Southside officials think pumping from Lake Gaston would give Virginia Beach control over the region's water supply.
Neither Heilig nor Clement would give any specifics about Thursday's negotiations.
Clement predicted, however, that little will be done to appease legislators from the Roanoke River basin. ``It looks like Southside's going to come up short,'' he said.
Discontent over the proposed agreement was evident Thursday at a public hearing in Lynchburg.
Altavista Mayor J.K. Burgess said his town, whose industries make use of millions of gallons of Roanoke River water a day, doesn't want its water limited for the sake of Virginia Beach.
``The reason we have more jobs is because the Roanoke River runs through Altavista,'' he said.
The Associated Press contributed information to this story.
by CNB