DATE: Friday, October 17, 1997              TAG: 9710170669

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY SCOTT HARPER, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   76 lines

LAWMAKERS ARE VOTING GREENER

Virginia lawmakers, including many from Hampton Roads, were decidedly greener when voting on state environmental issues in 1996 and 1997, according to a study released Thursday.

Among those who compiled a stronger environmental voting record than in previous years, according to the study:

State Sen. Mark Earley, R-Chesapeake, a candidate for Virginia attorney general.

Del. Kenneth Melvin, D-Portsmouth, who five years ago ranked as one of worst environmental advocates in the House.

Del. Leo Wardrup, R-Virginia Beach, whose moderate record symbolizes a new sensitivity for environmental legislation among Virginia Beach conservatives.

``Everything seems to have shifted a little bit to the green side, but that doesn't mean we don't have a long way to go,'' said Albert Pollard Jr., a lobbyist with the Sierra Club.

The Sierra Club, Clean Water Action and Virginia Citizen Action compiled the study, called the Virginia General Assembly Environmental Scorecard for 1996-97.

It ranked lawmakers for their votes on several swing issues in the Senate and House, including bills affecting pollution control, public notification of chemical spills, property rights, management of toxic waste and the rights of citizens to challenge corporate pollution permits in court.

A vote that conservation groups agreed with gave lawmakers points under the scorecard format; a vote opposed by the groups kept their score down.

An overall ranking of 100 - as with state Sen. Stanley Walker and Del. Jerrauld Jones, two Norfolk Democrats - is the highest mark of environmental friendliness in the eyes of these groups. At the other extreme is a score of zero, which no local legislator recorded.

While the region's politicians averaged around 50, some individuals were much lower. Del. J. Paul Councill, D-Franklin, received a 14, for example, as did Del. Frank Wagner, R-Virginia Beach, and J. Randy Forbes, R-Chesapeake.

Wagner's ranking is about what Virginia Beach lawmakers have historically scored, given their often conservative political bent that aligns them more with business and tax-relief issues than with the environment.

But over the past two years, as the Republican administration of Gov. George F. Allen was widely criticized for its environmental policies, Beach Republicans - at least those in the House - seemed to have taken a more moderate line.

Wardrup, for example, scored a 43 this time; in 1992, his rating was 17. Dels. Robert McDonnell and Harry Purkey also scored a middle-of-the-road 43, and Del. Robert Tata had a 71.

The lone Democrat in the Virginia Beach contingent, Del. Glenn Croshaw, received a 57.

In the Senate, Virginia Beach Sens. Kenneth Stolle and Edward Schrock both finished with 20s.

The study, in its fourth two-year cycle, has been criticized by some in the past for focusing on controversial environmental bills, on which lawmakers were more inclined to vote along party lines. This time, less contentious votes were scrutinized, Pollard said.

That might be one reason scores were generally higher, he said. But Pollard and other environmentalists stressed that a moderate trend definitely is apparent.

``The improvement, I think, is a byproduct of the terrible times that this administration has had over the past two years,'' Pollard said. ``It got so bad, it created a backlash that delegates picked up on.''

That seems true with Del. Melvin of Portsmouth and Sen. Earley of Chesapeake. In 1992, Melvin scored a 25, the lowest among Democrats in the House; this time, he received an 86.

Earley, known for his conservative views, especially on abortion, had a 60 in this study; five years ago, he recorded a 33. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

General Assembly's Environmental Scores

Senate

House of Delegates

For complete copy, see microfilm KEYWORDS: GENERAL ASSEMBLY RANKING STUDY ENVIRONMENTAL

ISSUES VOTE

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