The News Journal from Wilmington, Delaware • Page 22

SUNDAY NEWS JOURNAL SEPT. 27.1992 ELECTION! 92! i MtaMJliil 1 iimiiMMi nww, mi ni.i nmrwimim mn num. mi iit 'i ii inn' an vats mxr. Ms Fr JiiL-uinmnw I The Sunday News Journal asked the four candidates for governor on Delaware's Nov. 3 ballot for thei views on the environment.

This chart highlights 10 key issues. Next Sunday: crime and drugs. a y. 1 1 Wi nil tackle another politically difficult issue: the Delaware Solid Waste Authority. Asked about frequently voiced criticism that the authority opposes recycling or pays too little regard to public opinion, Carper said he would appoint members to the seven-person authority board "who are responsive to and welcome public input." The terms of several board members who have continued to serve expired more than 10 years ago.

Scott said he would encourage greater communication between the authority and government. McDowell rejects the view that Delaware has a good record of protecting the environment. The state has a long history of caving in to polluters, he said. "I don't trust Du Pont or any other, business or industry to make decisions on behalf of a cleaner environment when continued pollution will mean a bigger bottom line of profit," McDowell said. McDowell cited the, state's failure after three years of trying to enact controls on toxic air emissions.

The Delaware State Chamber of Commerce and the Chemical Industry Council have opposed adoption of such standards as unnecessary for the environment and bad for business. "Delaware has the highest incidence for cancer among all states and the second highest death fate from cancer," he said. "I sincerely believe this cancer plague is caused by irresponsible, greedy polluters who want to make extra bucks at the expense of human Richard A. Cohen Party: Libertarian Age: 43 Profession: lawyer Residence: New Castle Marital status: married, four children Floyd E. McDowell Sr.

Party: A Delaware Party Age: 65 Profession: education consultant, trainer, editor Residence: Newark Marital status: married, five children B. Gary Scott Party: Republican Age: 59 Profession: real estate executive Residence: Greenville Marital status: Married, seven children Thomas Carper Party. Democrat Age; 45 Office held: U.S. represents tive Past public office, state treasurer Residence: Wilmington Marital status: married, two children By MERRITT WALLICK Staff reporter The election of Delaware's next governor does not seem likely to depend on his position on environmental issues. Questions about the candidates' environmental views have arisen so rarely in recent debates that the four men seeking the office don't know on what issues they disagree.

In fact, the major-party candidates sound remarkably similar in much of what they say about the environment. Neither candidate would arrive to the office with a heavily laden environmental agenda. Indeed, Democrat Thomas R. Carper and Republic B. Gary Scott say Delaware environmental officials too often have given residents a rough time.

By contrast, the two third-party candidates hardly could disagree more. The Libertarian Party candidate, New Castle lawyer Richard A. Cohen, wants to repeal most environmental laws and drastically reduce the size of the state environmental agency. Floyd E. McDowell candidate of A Delaware Party, thinks state laws are much too weak.

A Democrat who would inherit 16 years of Republican policy, Carper fears that the state environmental office may be getting too big for its britches. "The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has grown perhaps more than any other state agency in the past 16 years," Carper said. "Their responsibilities have grown as well. In some parts of the state, particularly in southern Delaware, that agency is viewed by some as not doing enough to protect, the environment and, by others' as being unresponsive and almost' dictatorial to the concerns of businesses, farmers and others in the community." A Carper administration would "better ensure employees of the agency take seriously their re- sponsibility to assist business and individuals to comply with the law to just use a little common sense Jperhaps a bit more than we he said. Cafper's complaint is not that Delaware's laws are too strict, but that the agency is too complacent about needless delays, especially in responding to requests for permits.

Carper would appoint an ombudsman within the agency designated as "a liaison to the department" for businesses. Scott" also worries about how much PNREC has grown. "The concern that I have about DNREC is that it has grown into a fantastically large bureaucracy over the last 10 years," Scott said. 1 Declining to reveal specific plans for the agency, he said: "We'd want to look and make sure it's being managed in the best way possible." Carper said that the state econ-; omy can prosper without sacrificing the environment. "I reject the notion that we have to choose in Delaware between a clean environment and our need to create jobs," he said.

"For the most part, we have a business community that is committed to respecting our environment, to complying with the law. There are elements within our business community that don't DNREC Have agency develop attitude Institute hiring freeze, reduce Appoint citizen activist Big bureaucracy needing of helpfulness toward law agency through attrition to careful review abiding business "much smaller" size COASTAL Approves of present law Let property owners protect Current law should never be Approves of present law tvr a the environment using law- changed PROTECTION suits to stop polluters Law a RECYCLING Delaware should recycle Leave it up to private enter- Recycle more voluntarily Favors voluntary recycling more voluntarily prise programs PROGRAMS DEVELOPMENT State government needs Keep government out Greater citizen involvement Development should be regu- greaterrole and government oversight lated at the county level FRESHWATER Compromise with landowners Let property owners protect Need strict law Would accept a state law IAI and compensate them for the environment using law- based on consensus of all "ETLANDS land losses suits to stop polluters parties involved Protection DELAWARE Change complexion of au- Turn waste disposal over to Complete review with an eye Encourage better communi- w. thority through gubernatorial private enterprise toward changing agency cation between the state gov- OOLID WASTE appointment ernment and the independent Authority authority NEW TRASH Build only if safe after reduc- Leave to private industry Review plans with citizen in- Noopinion ing trash volume as much as volvement Incinerator possible JOBS VS. Tnere should be no competi- Reduce government bureau- No competition between the Delaware must seek a bal- PuuiDnuueuT tion between the two cracy and regulation to give two ance avoid atmosphere ENVIRONMENT people more money to fuel unfriendly to industry but pro- the economy tect the environment AIRBORNE Noopinion on whether Dela- No state law needed, citizens Enact strict state law State should enact no envi- ware should enact its own should sue companies that ronmental law stricter than IOXIC regulations pollute federal law Chemicals -v OPEN SPACE Present plans inadequately State should sell lands to pri- Supports current efforts but Continue state program of DnccrDVATiriM vate groups with deed restric- wants better use of open buying land, seeking use re- rritatHVAHUN tons space strictions and accepting dona tions for preservation suffering. Many of the problems of state government could be solved with greater citizen he said.

Environmental activist as well as business people would be appointed to advisory and policymaking jobs to develop a fair con-sensus on environmental policy, McDowell said. In Libertarian tradition, Cohen understands pollution as an infringement on property rights. State law doesn't protect the environment because too much property is publicly owned and citizens often lack the right to bring suit against polluters, he said. "Most of the regulations how will ultimately cause more harm that good. The only people who seem to benefit are the attorneys," Cohen said.

"Government has eliminated private property rights in water and failed to enforce them in air pollution," he said. "You own. the air over your property to the' extent that somebody contaminates that air, they are guilty of a trespass. If I'm standing in an elevator and I blow smoke in your face I'm committing a trespass." Cohen would repeal most environmental laws, including the state Coastal Zone Act, which restricts heavy industry along Delaware shorelines. Marsh would be better protected in the hands of private groups committed to preserving it than under the authority of state agencies influenced by polluters, he said.

Although he would drastically shrink the size of the state environmental agency, Cohen said that some governmental role may remain for cases where it is not possible to identify a single party responsible for an act of have that commitment, it's important that we enforce the law and make sure that they comply," he said. For Scott, jobs compete with strict environmental regulations. "We understand in Delaware that there's balance. You've got to have jobs. You've got to have water and clean air," Scott said.

"New Hampshire's a pretty place to live but there are no jobs there." Scott would like to avoid environmental laws so strict that they create an anti-business climate in Delaware. He opposes enactment of state laws on toxic air emissions, for example, because that would make state environmental law stricter than federal law. "Let's meet the Ifederal standards before we start worrying about whether we should be more strict than that," Scott said. We can't take a step backward, but by golly we just can't go rushing forward either." Carper said he had not decided whether Delaware should follow the majority of states and adopt its own restrictions on airborne has no yet developed a program, the state should have a greater say in land use decisions. "We need to move toward more of a sharing of responsibility as it pertains to land use and to development," Carper said.

"The state is going to inherit some of the costs that grow out of the counties' decisions pertaining to land use. Since the state inherits a significant portion of those costs it's appropriate that the state be more involved up front in the 'decision making." Carper also appears ready to toxic emissions. He did not rule out the possibility that state law should be stricter than federal law in some cases, however. Carper and Scott clearly part ways on the issue of greater state involvement to protect the environment from residential and commercial development. Legislation that would have created a state wide environmental planning office has stalled for two years.

Scott would leave land-use issues strictly to county zoning offices. Carper said that, while he New tack needed on environment, House hopefuls agree he said. say, while they want a clean envi general approach they would tal problems. What distinguishes the candidates on environmental issues are their basic philosophies on how big a role the federal government must have to ensure protection of the environment. For the most part, they've set their sites on Congress without detailed plans for the full legislative plate that awaits the next session on clean water, pesticides, solid waste and endangered species.

Instead, "they're advertising the gether. Woo, however, objects to the stereotype of the big-government Democrat. The environment and business both suffer because the EPA and the rules it issues attempt to tell people in too much detail how to clean up or protect the environment, he said. "Right now, the environmentalists are not happy. They think that the government is not protecting the environment enough.

And the businessmen and farmers I've talked to are not happy. They "You should leave it to businesses' own ingenuity," Woo said. But he doesn't shy away from penalties. "You have to make frequent checks on performance, and enforce performance via penalties, the severity of which should increase with the number of offenses," Woo said. Fines collected from companies that fail to meet environmental standards should Continued on next fage By MERRITT WALLICK Staff reporter If you think the federal government is doing a good job protecting the environment, you disagree with the three candidates for Delaware's single seat in Congress.

All contend that federal environmental regulations are long on bureaucracy and short on solutions. They also echo the theme that government should free up he ingenuity entrepreneurs to provide solutions to environmen take. Based on a recent News Journal survey of the candidates' environmental platforms, Democrat S.B. Woo most willingly relies on federal law to achieve environmental goals. Republican candidate and outgoing governor Michael N.

Castle believes "the free market" works better. And Libertarian Party candidate Peggy Schmidt would dispense with most federal laws alto ronment, they are overburdened by regulations which are unfriendly and inefficient," Woo said. The federal government must change its entire approach to regulation, Woo contends. It must strive for "regulation by result." Government should set national environmental standards and prod industry with a system of incentives and penalties, Woo said. But it should not dictate to industry how to meef standards,.