THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, March 15, 1996 TAG: 9603150022
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A18 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
In response to a recent letter from Virginia Secretary of Natural Resources Becky Norton Dunlop, I must make several comments regarding state spending and the environment.
In Virginia, less than 1 cent of every state tax dollar is spent on protecting our natural resources. This is incongruous given the fact that Virginians of all political persuasions and from all regions of the state have repeatedly expressed in public-opinion polls that maintaining a healthy environment is a top priority for them.
It is clear from the governor's proposed budget that environmental protection ranks at or near the bottom of the administration's priorities. Secretary Dunlop's own initiatives for improving the water quality of the Potomac River fail to include any additional state funding for achieving the goals to which Virginia and its Chesapeake Bay partners (Maryland, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia) committed to in 1992.
The secretary's letter also misleadingly implies that all is well with the environment. Progress has been made in some environmental areas. Yet no one can deny that much more work needs to be done. For example, nitrogen and phosphorus pollutant levels are increasing in sections of the Rappahannock, York and James rivers. In spite of existing federal, state and local preservation initiatives, the collective losses of wetlands in the Bay watershed in the past eight years equal an area about the size of the entire District of Columbia. The Bay's once-dominant fisheries have fallen on hard times.
The letter continues by criticizing special-interest groups as demanding more of the taxpayers' money. When it comes to the environment, the only special-interest group involved is the citizenry of Virginia. All Virginians benefit when tax dollars are wisely used to promote a healthy environment. However, it seems that some officials may be more concerned with further reducing the 1-cent allocation than protecting the environment.
Virginia's environmental improvements will not happen by accident but will happen with commitment. Additional state funding is an integral component of that commitment. Rather than criticizing citizen groups for educating the public about the state's environmental expenditures, Virginia's officials should join in the effort to obtain increased funding for the commonwealth's resource-conservation programs. Perhaps 2 cents isn't too much to ask.
JOSEPH H. MAROON
Virginia executive director
Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Richmond, Feb. 22, 1996 by CNB