THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, June 22, 1995 TAG: 9506220525
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE AND DAVID M. POOLE, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Gov. George F. Allen said Wednesday that it would be ``nearly miraculous'' for a proposed Lake Gaston settlement to pass the General Assembly by Friday, June 30.
A few hours later, however, he took a more optimistic tack, advising lawmakers to clear their calendars next week for a possible special session to consider the settlement.
The somewhat mixed messages served as a reminder of the on-and-off nature of Virginia Beach's 12-year struggle to import water from Southside Virginia.
And they also underscored the fact that while negotiators may soon agree on the final wording of a compact, one of the Virginia Beach's toughest battles - the political conquest - looms.
``I think we will have something on paper eventually,'' said Anthony F. Troy, a Richmond lobbyist working for Virginia Beach. ``The question is whether there will be the political will to carry it forward.''
Negotiators in Virginia Beach, Norfolk and North Carolina continued to narrow their differences Wednesday over plans to construct the 76-mile pipeline. Norfolk Mayor Paul D. Fraim said most of his city's objections - once the primary roadblocks to agreement - have been either resolved or softened.
In a three-page letter to legislators Wednesday, Allen said he will call a special session of the General Assembly June 28-30 if the Assembly appears ready to approve an agreement quickly.
The governor sent the letter, he said, to give lawmakers time to prepare.
But, Sen. Stanley C. Walker, D-Norfolk, said, ``A lot of people don't want a session of any kind right now because it's election time. In Hampton Roads, the issue doesn't bother us so much. But in other parts of the state I know it can be a very troubling issue for them.''
The Allen administration and leaders in the General Assembly have largely tried to walk a delicate line where the pipeline is concerned - a line between vote-rich Hampton Roads, where support for the pipeline is high, and Southside, where opposition reigns.
Allen has expressed support for the pipeline but tried to validate Southside's concerns that the pipeline could mean future limits on their use of water. His moderation has not always been popular.
House Democrats held closed-door strategy meetings during a retreat at The Homestead in Hot Springs Wednesday. Most members attended and could not be reached for comment.
But Majority Leader C. Richard Cranwell, D-Roanoke County, is on record as opposing the pipeline, and Speaker Thomas W. Moss, D-Norfolk, has shown little urgency to work a deal.
Most legislators familiar with the negotiations still predict success before the tentative deadline of Friday, June 30. But election-year positioning, they say, has become a dangerous and unavoidable crick in the negotiations.
``I hope it's not petty politics at the state level that's going to do this thing in,'' said Del. Leo C. Wardrup Jr., R-Virginia Beach.
The two sides, meanwhile, continue trying to hand off responsibility for reaching a deal.
Democrats say a deal can't come together until Allen calls the Assembly into session to debate the issue. Allen dismissed the idea Wednesday, saying it would be a waste of time to call a special session until there is some assurance a deal would fly.
``We don't need to be spending all that money for legislators just to come down here and bicker amongst one another,'' Allen said. MEMO: Staff writer Alex Marshall contributed to this story.
KEYWORDS: WATER SUPPLY PLAN LAKE GASTON by CNB