THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, November 6, 1996 TAG: 9611060001
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A26 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Editorial
LENGTH: 58 lines
Until about two years ago, Virginia was good at releasing reports on water pollution from industries and sewage plants on time.
Now, says the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Virginia is the worst of the mid-Atlantic states, having fallen up to two years behind on some required monthly reports. The EPA expects 19 of 20 reports to be on time. From Virginia, it gets only three of four on schedule.
If Virginia doesn't shape up, the EPA says it will withhold a $1.6 million federal grant for monitoring waste discharges from big companies and utilities. The EPA first threatened last July to withhold the money, with no noticeable improvement by Virginia. An EPA offer to provide staff to help was ignored. The threat to withhold funds was repeated last week.
The failure to provide timely reports is further evidence that the state Department of Environmental Quality is falling down on the job badly, through incompetence or indifference or both.
In an explanation that inspires no confidence, Bob Burnley, the DEQ director of program support and evaluation, said, ``It was one of those things that happened gradually, and eventually got big enough that someone here started taking notice.''
He said the delays are caused by computer error and the problem should be solved within 30 days. Of course the EPA was led to believe the problem would be solved by this summer.
The reports to the EPA became tardy about the time the department's director of informational services accepted a buyout package offered by Gov. George F. Allen as part of Allen's effort to downsize state government. Since then, the DEQ has hired a computer specialist to try to get the reports out on time.
Earlier in October, another computer error was blamed for the erroneous inclusion of badly polluted rivers, including the Pagan River in Smithfield, on a list of Virginia waterways supposedly safe for swimming.
Another Allen administration environmental mistake earlier this year could have led to mandatory auto emission inspections and to tougher emission limits on business and industry. Allen forgot to appoint a required environmental committee to help draft plans to ensure that Hampton Roads smog does not increase over the next 10 years. Fortunately, the weather was mild this summer and there were no high-smog days, but Allen's blunder could have been costly.
Environmental groups are appalled at Virginia's faltering efforts to protect the environment.
Earlier this year, a survey of DEQ employees, conducted by the national Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, showed a demoralized department, as did an earlier state survey.
Odds are, employees' morale is lower today.
Allen sees environmental laws as obstacles to his quest to build business. That's ironic in a state heavily dependent on tourism, agriculture and fishing. Allen may be reluctant to diligently enforce federal environmental requirements, but as they say about wearing seat belts, ``It's the law.''
The state is on a slippery slope. If lackadaisical enforcement of environmental laws leads to a loss of federal funding, Virginia will have even fewer resources with which to address the environmental problems it's already struggling with. Virginia must get its act together now. by CNB