HARRISONBURG - Shenandoah Valley lawmakers on Wednesday applauded Gov. Timothy M. Kaine's proposal to help farmers limit pollution going into Chesapeake Bay.

But they were much more wary of who would pay for Kaine's desire to make local government buildings "green" or environmentally friendly.

Kaine cited those and other proposals in the annual State of the Commonwealth address on Wednesday that helped inaugurate this year's General Assembly session.

Priorities

Kaine emphasized job creation as lawmakers establish priorities to bridge an anticipated budget revenue shortfall of about $3 billion.

"Times are tough," said Sen. Mark Obenshain, R-Harrisonburg. "We have to prioritize. Some of our priorities are vastly different."

During the next five weeks or so, Obenshain said, there will be a serious discussion about what those priorities should be.

The Valley delegation of Republican lawmakers said Kaine's address included very little that had not already been stated since Dec. 17, when the Democratic governor outlined his proposals for closing the projected budget shortfall.

Obenshain said he wanted to hear more specifics from the governor on his budget proposals.

Runoff Protection

During the address, Kaine said the state should spend $20 million to help farmers prevent pollutants from running off into streams and ending up in the Chesapeake Bay.

Sen. Emmett Hanger, R-Weyers Cave, said that $10 million of the money is from the state's general fund and the other $10 million would likely come from a federal water quality improvement program.

Virginia must "create a program that farmers can count on so we can get something accomplished each year," Hanger said.

Holding onto the $10 million during the session could prove difficult, said Del. Steve Landes, R-Weyers Cave, although he believes there's support in the House of Delegates to preserve the money.

While those funds would help farmers, Obenshain said he's hearing of possible new regulations regarding poultry litter.

Unfunded Mandate

On another environmental front, Kaine proposed making state and local government buildings "green." Kaine said the effort would create jobs.

"It could," said Del. Todd Gilbert, R-Woodstock, "lead to an unfunded mandate."

Lawmakers say they would watch the proposal closely.

"We're not sure if local governments are going to pay for that," Landes said.

If local governments bore the cost, Obenshain said, fewer jobs would be created than Kaine expects.

The likely higher cost of making buildings green would strain limited local funds for construction, he said.

Contact Jeff Mellott at 574-6290 or jmellott@dnronline.com