Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, September 14, 1993 TAG: 9309140020
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: CATHRYN McCUE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Tanger, an advertising and public relations executive in Roanoke, is a paid consultant for Appalachian Power Co., which wants to build a 765,000-volt transmission line from West Virginia to Cloverdale. The Sierra Club opposes the line.
On Saturday, after a contentious, courtroom-like hearing, the group's executive committee voted 11-1 by secret ballot to censure Tanger.
"Our main concern was that Bill Tanger was wrapping the mantle of the Sierra Club around him when he makes presentations on the power line," said William Grant, energy chairman of the state chapter.
Tanger denies that he misrepresented the group's position. "I was basically censured for something I didn't do," he said.
Tanger's critics charge that on several occasions while speaking in public, he described himself as a member of the Sierra Club - one of the oldest and most-respected environmental organizations - and went on to discuss the benefits of the power line.
By not dissociating himself from the club, they said, he led people to believe that the Sierra Club endorsed the line. They referred to a July article in a West Virginia newspaper in which the reporter, after interviewing Tanger, wrote that Tanger said the club supported the line. The newspaper later retracted the statement.
On Monday, Tanger blamed the article for creating a false impression and criticized the committee for "not checking the facts. I'm not overjoyed with the mental abilities of the people there," he said.
He left Saturday's meeting early in protest, telling the club's members that he will continue, as in the past, to "make every effort to make sure that no one thinks I'm representing the Sierra Club."
The committee heard from three witnesses and read letters from three others that related instances in which Tanger allegedly made statements implying that the club supported the line.
It is not against club policy for members to have a conflict of interest, Grant said. However, it violates policy when members take action that involves their conflict of interest.
"The upshot was that people felt he sold out to Apco and was using the good name of the Sierra Club to cloak himself," Grant said.
Under the censure, Tanger must make clear in any public forum on Apco's proposed power line that he does not represent the Sierra Club's position. The move was an alternative to kicking him out of the club, a lengthy process that would involve the organization's national committee.
by CNB