DATE: Thursday, July 24, 1997               TAG: 9707240372

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B6   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   62 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: ****************************************************** A headline in Thursday's Hampton Roads section, ``Virginia air quality has improved since 1970, DEQ director says,'' mistakenly referred to Becky Norton Dunlop as director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. Norton is state secretary of natural resources. The DEQ director is Thomas Hopkins. Correction published , Friday, July 25, 1997, p.A2 ***************************************************************** VIRGINIA AIR QUALITY HAS IMPROVED SINCE 1970, DEQ DIRECTOR SAYS

Becky Norton Dunlop, state secretary of natural resources, said a new study by a business and industry group shows that ``Virginia's air is in good shape and is getting better.''

Speaking at a news conference to announce the results of a study that found six air pollutants decreased by 31 percent from 1970 to 1995, Dunlop said economic growth and clean air are not mutually exclusive.

``The study . . . will reinforce the truth we have been discussing that you can have a growing economy while you are still improving the quality and condition of our environment,'' Dunlop said Wednesday.

The study done for the Foundation for Clean Air Progress - a nonprofit funded by 24 groups ranging from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the Service Station Dealers of America to the American Corn Growers Association - found that the discharge of selected air pollutants dropped from 5.39 million tons in 1970 to 3.7 million tons in 1995. The study predicted that by 2015 the discharge would drop to 2.76 million tons.

Peter H. Guldberg, whose Tech Environmental Inc. did the study, said his findings show that federal regulations have worked to reduce the levels of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxide, particulate matter, and lead released into the atmosphere.

Guldberg said the study was based on federal Environmental Protection Agency data.

Ruth Podems, spokeswoman for the EPA's regional office in Philadelphia, said she had not seen the study and could not comment on it.

Guldberg predicted the numbers will fall farther as more stringent federal regulations kick in as part of the Clean Air Act in the next century.

While strides have been made, serious problems still remain, said Chuck Epes of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

``Air pollution continues very much to be a concern for anybody worried about the health of Chesapeake Bay,'' he said, noting that between 25 to 30 percent of the nitrogen deposited in the bay comes from air pollution.

Nutrient pollution from nitrogen and phosphorous is a major cause of water quality problems in the bay.

The two nutrients cause massive algae blooms, which use up oxygen needed by plants and fish and block sunlight that underwater grasses must have to grow.

An EPA study has recommended stricter pollution regulation of vehicles and power plants, a move opposed by Dunlop. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

Becky Norton

Dunlop, at a news conference Wednesday, reported on a study by a

business and industry group.

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