THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 24, 1994 TAG: 9407220022
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 37 lines
In the past several weeks, you have written a number of editorials about environmental issues. Each time, you have expressed disdain for private environmental organizations and ``envirocrats'' at the Environmental Protection Agency. It appears that you think that environmentalists are contemptible, and environmentalism simply stands in the way of economic development.
Environmental issues are complex and very important to the community. In particular, clean air, clean water and healthy-living resources in Chesapeake Bay are vital to a high quality of life and a healthy economy in Hampton Roads. Our citizens understand this and want knowledgeable and productive discussion of these issues.
In tone and content, your editorials are neither knowledgeable nor productive. On two separate occasions, you have singled out the Chesapeake Bay Foundation as the object of your scorn, calling CBF ``no growthers'' that offer ``only scorched-economy regulatory regimes.'' Have you met with representatives from the foundation to discuss their views or concerns, their proposals and the reasons behind them? It is obvious that you have not.
One would hope that editorial commentary from The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star would provide leadership in our community by offering thoughtful, constructive and knowledgeable discussion of important issues rather than a lively but misleading approach that is scornful in tone, inaccurate in representing the facts and that polarizes the readership.
LISA A. KENSLER
Norfolk, July 12, 1994 by CNB