THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 28, 1994 TAG: 9412280449
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY KAREN WEINTRAUB AND MAC DANIEL, STAFF WRITERS
LENGTH: Long : 127 lines
In yet another blow to the mortally wounded Southeastern Expressway, a consensus among government agencies involved in the project has apparently fallen apart.
For two years federal, regional and local officials have worked on a proposal to reduce the potential environmental impacts of the 20-mile road.
But the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers, both involved in drafting the environmental impact statement, are now opposing that proposal, and have called the road ``environmentally unacceptable.''
In a letter received by Virginia Beach and Chesapeake officials Tuesday, the EPA's regional administrator Peter H. Kostmayer warned that his agency might veto any permits issued for the project.
The Army Corps expressed similar concerns recently in a letter to David S. Gendell, regional administrator for the Federal Highway Administration. Gendell said Tuesday the EPA and the Army Corps believe the environmental impact statement left out key elements that had been agreed upon.
The letters were the second strike against the project in as many months.
In November, the Chesapeake City Council withdrew support of the $500 million highway. The council voted again last week to eliminate the Southeastern Expressway from immediate consideration and from the 2015 road plan for the city.
``The expressway is dead, and if I have anything to say about it, it's going to stay dead,'' Vice Mayor Arthur L. Dwyer said before the meeting last week.
Several Virginia Beach, state and regional officials believe there may still be some life left in the project, although they could not say how much. Virginia Beach City Manager James K. Spore and other city officials continue to back the road which they say would add another much-needed route into their community.
It is unclear what EPA and Army Corps opposition means to the future of the road that would connect Virginia Beach with Chesapeake, but city and state officials said Tuesday they were ``amazed'' by the EPA's three-page letter and the disintegrating consensus it represents.
``There are some very general conclusions in here that I'm not sure are backed up by the facts as I understand them,'' Spore said Tuesday.
Spore said the EPA letter assumes the highway would damage 400 acres of wetlands, but the most probable route would only impact 200 acres.
Earl T. Robb, environmental administrator for the Virginia Department of Transportation, said the EPA had signed off ona draft version of the environmental impact statement, and he had expected its support on the final report.
``It would never have gone out on the street if they hadn't given us what we thought was clearance for the document,'' he said. ``These people over the last two years have actually written major portions of the document.''
Gendell, the regional highway administrator, said he thinks the EPA and the Army Corps left the door open to the state to fix the environmental end of the highway proposal.
Without Chesapeake's help, however, fighting the EPA and Army Corps and clearing other bureaucratic roadblocks will be difficult, Spore said. MEMO: Staff writer Francie Latour contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Color map
KEYWORDS: SOUTHEASTERN EXPRESSWAY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT IN
YET ANOTHER BLOW TO THE MORTALLY WOUNDED SOUTHEASTERN EXPRESSWAY, A
CONSENSUS AMONG GOVERNMENT AGENCIES INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT HAS
APPARENTLY FALLEN APART.
FOR TWO YEARS FEDERAL, REGIONAL AND LOCAL OFFICIALS HAVE WORKED
ON A PROPOSAL TO REDUCE THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THE
20-MILE ROAD.
BUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY AND THE ARMY CORPS OF
ENGINEERS, BOTH INVOLVED IN DRAFTING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
STATEMENT, ARE NOW OPPOSING THAT PROPOSAL, AND HAVE CALLED THE ROAD
``ENVIRONMENTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.''
IN A LETTER RECEIVED BY VIRGINIA BEACH AND CHESAPEAKE OFFICIALS
TUESDAY, THE EPA'S REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR PETER H. KOSTMAYER WARNED
THAT HIS AGENCY MIGHT VETO ANY PERMITS ISSUED FOR THE PROJECT.
THE ARMY CORPS EXPRESSED SIMILAR CONCERNS RECENTLY IN A LETTER
TO DAVID S. GENDELL, REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY
ADMINISTRATION. GENDELL SAID TUESDAY THE EPA AND THE ARMY CORPS
BELIEVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT LEFT OUT KEY ELEMENTS
THAT HAD BEEN AGREED UPON.
THE LETTERS WERE THE SECOND STRIKE AGAINST THE PROJECT IN AS MANY
MONTHS.
IN NOVEMBER, THE CHESAPEAKE CITY COUNCIL WITHDREW SUPPORT OF THE
$500 MILLION HIGHWAY. THE COUNCIL VOTED AGAIN LAST WEEK TO ELIMINATE
THE SOUTHEASTERN EXPRESSWAY FROM IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION AND FROM
THE 2015 ROAD PLAN FOR THE CITY.
``THE EXPRESSWAY IS DEAD, AND IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT,
IT'S GOING TO STAY DEAD,'' VICE MAYOR ARTHUR L. DWYER SAID BEFORE
THE MEETING LAST WEEK.
SEVERAL VIRGINIA BEACH, STATE AND REGIONAL OFFICIALS BELIEVE
THERE MAY STILL BE SOME LIFE LEFT IN THE PROJECT, ALTHOUGH THEY
COULD NOT SAY HOW MUCH. VIRGINIA BEACH CITY MANAGER JAMES K. SPORE
AND OTHER CITY OFFICIALS CONTINUE TO BACK THE ROAD WHICH THEY SAY
WOULD ADD ANOTHER MUCH-NEEDED ROUTE INTO THEIR COMMUNITY.
IT IS UNCLEAR WHAT EPA AND ARMY CORPS OPPOSITION MEANS TO THE
FUTURE OF THE ROAD THAT WOULD CONNECT VIRGINIA BEACH WITH
CHESAPEAKE, BUT CITY AND STATE OFFICIALS SAID TUESDAY THEY WERE
``AMAZED'' BY THE EPA'S THREE-PAGE LETTER AND THE DISINTEGRATING
CONSENSUS IT REPRESENTS.
``THERE ARE SOME VERY GENERAL CONCLUSIONS IN HERE THAT I'M NOT
SURE ARE BACKED UP BY THE FACTS AS I UNDERSTAND THEM,'' SPORE SAID
TUESDAY.
SPORE SAID THE EPA LETTER ASSUMES THE HIGHWAY WOULD DAMAGE 400
ACRES OF WETLANDS, BUT THE MOST PROBABLE ROUTE WOULD ONLY IMPACT 200
ACRES.
EARL T. ROBB, ENVIRONMENTAL ADMINISTRATOR FOR THE VIRGINIA
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, SAID THE EPA HAD SIGNED OFF ONA
DRAFTVERSION OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, AND HE HAD
EXPECTED ITS SUPPORT ON THE FINAL REPORT.
``IT WOULD NEVER HAVE GONE OUT ON THE STREET IF THEY HADN'T GIVEN
US WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS CLEARANCE FOR THE DOCUMENT,'' HE SAID.
``THESE PEOPLE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS HAVE ACTUALLY WRITTEN MAJOR
PORTIONS OF THE DOCUMENT.''
GENDELL, THE REGIONAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATOR, SAID HE THINKS THE
EPA AND THE ARMY CORPS LEFT THE DOOR OPEN TO THE STATE TO FIX THE
ENVIRONMENTAL END OF THE HIGHWAY PROPOSAL.
WITHOUT CHESAPEAKE'S HELP, HOWEVER, FIGHTING THE EPA AND ARMY
CORPS AND CLEARING OTHER BUREAUCRATIC ROADBLOCKS WILL BE DIFFICULT,
SPORE SAID.
STAFF WRITER FRANCIE LATOUR CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REPORT. by CNB