THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, October 15, 1994 TAG: 9410150237
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: WALLVILLE, MD. LENGTH: Short : 38 lines
Top government officials from the Chesapeake Bay region committed themselves Friday to reducing the flow of toxic chemicals into the bay by 50 percent by the year 2000.
Representatives from five governments said the top priority for cleaning up the bay must be to push ahead with an early commitment to reducing the amount of phosphorous and nitrogen in the bay.
The decisions were made at a meeting of the Chesapeake Executive Council which was attended by Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer, Virginia Gov. George F. Allen, Washington Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly and Carol Browner, head of the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
A version drafted by lower-level officials committed the leaders to a goal of a Chesapeake Bay where toxic chemicals would be reduced to the level that they would have no impact on fish and plant life in the bay.
That drew fire from environmentalists, who wanted to continue a 1988 policy that the goal should be to eliminate all flow of toxics into the bay.
Urged on by Browner, the council went with the stricter version.
``The point is that the goal is to remove all toxics from the bay,'' Browner said.
But Schaefer and Allen said the difference was unimportant.
``We're not going to have a toxic-free bay,'' said Allen, who was elected chairman of the council to replace Schaefer.
``The concern is the impact of the toxics,'' he said.
KEYWORDS: CHESAPEAKE BAY WATER POLLUTION by CNB