THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 14, 1995 TAG: 9507140415
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY BETTY MITCHELL GRAY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RALEIGH LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines
Many state coastal and fisheries officials breathed sighs of relief when the state Senate unveiled its $384.3 million expansion and capital budget that includes more than $2.3 million for new coastal and fisheries programs.
``This is the result of a lot of lobbying on the part of the Coastal Resources Commission and local governments,'' said Roger Schecter, director of the Division of Coastal Management.
``A lot of people called the House and the Senate after we saw the House expansion budget and it made a lot of people re-think what this money was to be used for,'' he said.
The budget includes funds for most but not all of the projects sought by Gov. James B. Hunt Jr. in his $10.6 billion coastal agenda.
But the Senate spending plan still must be resolved with a $381.7 million expansion and capital budget approved by the House on July 2. That budget gave short shrift to Hunt's coastal agenda, including only $750,000 for new coastal programs and construction projects.
The Division of Marine Fisheries, the Division of Coastal Management and the Division of Environmental Management's animal-waste certification programs were the big winners in the Senate budget among coastal and environmental protection agencies.
Coastal and environmental appropriations for the 1995 fiscal year that are part of the Senate expansion and capital budget include:
$846,141 for the Division of Coastal Management for technical support for local government land use planning, plus $19,000 in one-time money for equipment.
$155,000 for a deputy director for the Division of Marine Fisheries, plus one-time costs associated with the position of $5,000 and $90,000 for Marine Fisheries Commission advisory committee expenses;
$35,000 for the fisheries Moratorium Steering Committee and the appeals panel that hears requests for commercial fishing licenses;
$763,892 for seven new enforcement officers with the Division of Marine Fisheries, plus one-time costs of $575,000 for equipment for those officers;
$424,792 for eight staff members with the Division of Environmental Management to oversee compliance with the division's nonpoint source program, plus $34,500 in one-time costs associated with the positions;
$500,000 for additional agriculture cost share grants for animal waste sites and
$30,000 in one-time money for aquatic-weed control.
Most of these programs are petprojects of Senate leader Marc Basnight, a Manteo Democrat, who was credited by coastal leaders for helping preserve many of the coastal programs in a tight budget year.
``In lean budget times, it shows a tremendous amount of insight on the part of the leadership of the Senate that there needs to be some effort to improve marine fisheries,'' said Robert V. Lucas, chairman of the state Marine Fisheries Commission. ``It's absolutely refreshing that Marc Basnight and others see this.''
``But this is a message on the part of Sen. Basnight and other members of the Senate leadership that says we have done our part and we want you to do your part,'' he said.
But some state leaders said Wednesday that the Senate's expansion and capital budget contained too much spending for so-called ``pork'' projects in the northeast, Basnight's home district.
Besides spending for environmental agencies, the Senate expansion and capital budget for 1995-96 contained the following programs and construction projects of regional interest:
$9.5 million for supplemental funding for so-called ``low wealth'' schools and $538,392 for small school systems;
$100,000 for the First Flight Centennial Commission;
$125,000 for Project Blue Sky;
$1.3 million for Department of Transportation construction projects in Washington and Williamston;
$1 million reserve for cleanup of the Warren County PCB landfill;
$5 million for construction projects at the Elizabeth II State Historic Site;
$3 million for construction at the eastern agriculture center in Williamston;
$10 million for state parks and natural areas;
$1.3 million for planning at the three state aquariums;
$500,000 for a University of North Carolina marine science center;
$2.7 million for a life sciences building at East Carolina University.
Several construction projects of regional interest are slated for additional and new funding in the second year of the biennial budget under the Senate plan:
Elizabeth City State University is slated to receive $2.1 million for construction of the Vaughn Center in the 1996-97 fiscal year;
The University of North Carolina will receive an additional $7.3 million for its marine science center;
East Carolina University will receive an additional $4.4 million for its life sciences building;
The agriculture center in Williamston will receive an additional $3 million.
KEYWORDS: NORTH CAROLINA BUDGET COASTAL RESOURCE COMMISSION by CNB