THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, August 10, 1994 TAG: 9408100010
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A10 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: Short : 46 lines
Gov. Allen has taken another step in his process of making the state more business-friendly, by making environmental regulations more business-friendly.
In a move that could save many small businesses thousands of dollars, a new rule being proposed would end costly site reviews when leaking underground storage tanks are removed if there is no immediate environmental danger.
Bob Baird, a Department of Environmental Quality worker in charge of the proposed move, said that oftentimes ground underneath the removed tanks is tested with such a broad standard that it forces just about every site to undergo an expensive study to see if a cleanup is warranted. The rule change would bring experts to the site at the time of removal who could determine whether the site poses immediate danger of contaminating groundwater or wells nearby. Baird said the experts could eliminate many unnecessary tests, which often cost $8,000 and up.
The common-sense move is just one of an array of steps Gov. Allen is taking to alter environmental regulations that are too costly for the benefits they provide.
In Northern Virginia, Gov. Allen has taken on the Environmental Protection Agency in a battle over where consumers can get their cars inspected to meet the coming tougher clean-air standards. The EPA wants testing done at only a few mandated sites, while Gov. Allen thinks this will bring long lines and hassles to drivers. The state wants the gas stations that normally perform tests to keep doing so, which is a plan that offers car owners more choice and convenience. The standards would still get met and the air would still get cleaned.
The Allen strategy of making environmental laws more consumer-friendly is similar to a strategy touted by EPA chief Carol Browner, who calls her plan the Common Sense Initiative. But the Browner initiative is meant to head off calls for cost-benefit evaluations of regulations while the Allen approach is to examine regulation's economic as well as environmental impact.
If Gov. Allen sustains his scrutiny of the environmental agenda, he could do wonders in advancing his goal of making Virginia more business-friendly. by CNB