THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Sunday, March 5, 1995                  TAG: 9503040008
SECTION: COMMENTARY               PAGE: J4   EDITION: FINAL 
TYPE: Editorial 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   50 lines

ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY PANELS DON'T EXCLUDE EXPERTS

If there's nothing to hide, why were they sneaking?

If someone hadn't leaked a state memo, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, other environmentalists and the public still wouldn't know that the Allen administration had appointed three panels of business and government officials - and no environmentalists - to study ways to speed the issuance of environmental permits involving air, water and waste.

``We are extremely concerned about this,'' said Joseph H. Maroon, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Virginia. ``It not only shows a lack of balance, but clearly marks a trend that citizens and the environmental community are being left out of important decision-making.''

Further cause for worry is the Allen administration's denial that there is anything to worry about.

Peter W. Schmidt, director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and author of the memo someone leaked, said environmentalists were not included on the panels because they would slow discussions. Surely they would object from time to time to this or that - perhaps with good reason.

Schmidt said environmentalists could comment on any panel recommendations later on.

But the memo, dated Feb. 14, said, ``What I hope the group will develop, within roughly a four-month time frame, are recommendations we can incorporate into our ongoing activities. My thought is to weave these into guidance documents rather than pursuing the APA route.'' APA stands for Administrative Process Act. It requires state agencies to hold open hearings and solicit public comment before changing policies.

Earlier this week, Schmidt assured staff writer Scott Harper, ``There will be hearings; protocol will be followed.''

Environmentalists would be less alarmed if Allen had a reputation for supporting the environment, but he doesn't. He successfully pushed a bill this past session that forgives polluters their trespasses if the polluters discover and confess them.

The Allen administration says it wants to streamline a tangled mess of environmental rules that hamper business. That's an excellent idea, but it could be accomplished in public, with conservationists consulted along the way. If discussions take longer because of pesky public comments, longer is good. by CNB