ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 1, 1997 TAG: 9703030048
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: Associated Press
The state has begun a program to coax companies to voluntarily prevent pollution that could end up in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.
The program, Businesses for the Bay, encourages companies to set goals for reducing pollution and offers awards and favorable publicity if they meet them.
The goals should go above and beyond what a company is required to do by law, said Alan Pollock, manager of the Chesapeake Bay Project at the state Department of Environmental Quality.
``The goal of this program is to promote pollution prevention and that ethic among industry,'' Pollock said.
The program is voluntary: Businesses set their own goals, develop their own means of meeting them and are not penalized if they fail.
The program wouldn't work any other way, Pollock said.
``If they sense it's just a forerunner of a new regulatory program, I doubt we would have any takers,'' he said Thursday.
Because it is voluntary, the program will make it easy for companies to call on DEQ, universities and other businesses for help, said Harry Gregori, supervisor of the department's pollution prevention program.
``This is an educational effort that's moving people into a new direction,'' Gregori said.
The state recently contacted 1,000 businesses and chambers of commerce by letter, including a worksheet that companies can return outlining their goals. Businesses that sign up will be asked to report their progress in August.
The state will count on businesses to be honest about their accomplishments. ``The goal is not to be checking up on people,'' Gregori said.
Joseph Maroon, Virginia executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, said he supports the effort, but that the state needs to do more.
``Encouraging businesses to voluntarily do more to prevent pollution is certainly helpful,'' he said, ``but voluntary efforts alone obviously will not save the bay. They must be part of a range of efforts that include strong government programs and enforcement, as well as private sector initiatives and personal stewardship.''
Businesses for the Bay was created by the Chesapeake Bay Program, a regional effort administered by the Environmental Protection Agency. Virginia is the first state in the bay watershed to launch the businesses effort, said DEQ spokesman Bill Hayden.
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