
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, November 6, 1995                   TAG: 9511060081
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: C3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND                                 LENGTH: Short

DEQ MAY SEEK FINES ONCE SMITHFIELD PROBE IS OVER

State environmental officials said they probably will seek civil penalties against Smithfield Foods Inc. after a federal criminal investigation of the company's pollution of Virginia waterways is completed.

Frank Daniel, regional director for the Department of Environmental Quality, said it is normal procedure to wait for a criminal probe to end before pursing civil actions.

``This is standard, like in the O.J. [Simpson] case,'' he said. He said the DEQ has not been ``sitting on its hands'' in the case as critics contend.

The criticism stems from the meatpacking company's donation of $125,000 to Gov. George Allen's political action committee, which has given thousands of dollars to Republican candidates in Tuesday's General Assembly elections.

Democrats say it was unethical for the PAC to take the money while the Allen administration is investigating Smithfield's discharges of tainted water from its hog-slaughtering plants into the Pagan River.

Mark J. Rozell, a Mary Washington College political science professor, said Allen's acceptance of the money ``is not a legal conflict, but it gives the appearance of a conflict of interest.''

Daniel said it is too early to say how big a fine the DEQ would seek. He said the agency's actions might hinge on what is turned up by the U.S. Justice Department probe.

Daniel said the federal investigation began several months ago after the DEQ provided evidence to Isle of Wight County's prosecutor, who turned the information over to the Justice Department.

by CNB