THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 19, 1994 TAG: 9407190362
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ESTHER DISKIN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Virginia and North Carolina lawmakers on Monday pushed aside more than a decade of angry barbs and bitter silence over the Lake Gaston pipeline with a peacemaking meeting.
The goal was simple. Get officials who have the power to make big things happen in both states to start a calm, cross-border conversation on major problems. The pipeline. Highways. Economic growth. Coastal waters.
``We came to the understanding that we are neighbors again,'' said North Carolina state Sen. Marc Basnight, who proposed the joint talks. ``Litigation can continue, but we can still have discussion.''
The courtroom battles won't stop any time soon. On Monday, North Carolina officials filed a lawsuit challenging U.S. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown's decision in favor of the pipeline project.
North Carolina officials argue that the 76-mile pipeline would harm the state's coastal environment and damage the spawning habitat for striped bass. In May, Brown ruled that the importance of relieving the water shortage in a major urban area outweighed minimal environmental impact on North Carolina's coastal resources.
On Monday, power brokers in both states said battles someday could become just water under the dam. ``We are concerned about keeping a dialogue going and exploring a way to bring about a compromise,'' said state Sen. Stanley Walker of Norfolk, who served as the chairman for the meeting.
Both Basnight and Walker, the chosen spokesman for the Virginia delegation, declared the meeting productive. They said it likely would lead to another meeting soon. No date has been set.
The guest list included Virginia's movers and shakers: Along with Walker, there was House of Delegates Speaker Thomas W. Moss Jr. and two state senators with close ties to Gov. George F. Allen - Sen. Mark L. Earley, R-Chesapeake, and Sen. Kenneth W. Stolle, R-Virginia Beach. Allen also sent a representative.
Basnight, president pro tem of the North Carolina state Senate and a close friend of Gov. James B. Hunt Jr., was the only elected official representing North Carolina. He was accompanied by a member of the North Carolina Transportation Board and Alan Hirsch, a deputy attorney general who has led North Carolina's battle against the pipeline.
Basnight and Walker were mum about details of the discussion. ``The issues are so delicate right now that releasing any information could inflame both sides,'' Basnight said.
The meeting was held during the Southern Legislative Conference at the Norfolk Waterside Marriott Hotel. by CNB