BUSINESS MONEY FLOWING TO GOP.(CAPITAL REGION)

Byline: ERIKA ROSENBERG Gannett News Service

ALBANY -- Companies responsible for cleaning up hazardous-waste sites gave at least $446,000 to lawmakers' campaigns -- and 80 percent of it went to Republicans who tend to favor business-friendly reform of the state's waste clean-up program, citizen groups said Thursday.

``It appears polluters are paying to get a cheaper clean-up policy,'' said Anne Rabe of Citizens' Environmental Coalition.

Citizen Action of New York studied campaign contributions in 1999 and 2000 from 20 companies responsible for 170 contaminated sites under the state Superfund program, which has run out of money. It found nearly …