Air District’s Clean Air Plans

* Re “Air Quality Fight Far From Over,” editorial, Oct. 7:

U.S. District Judge Harry L. Hupp never said that the South Coast Air Quality Management District could not or should not revise its clean air plan. State law requires AQMD to revise its clean air plan every three years, based on the latest scientific data and technology. The 1997 plan revised the 1994 plan, and we now are working on the year 2000 revision. The disputed measures proposed in 1994 were dropped or delayed in the 1997 plan because further analysis found them to be infeasible or otherwise unavailable.

The judge said federal law would not allow the court to set aside infeasible measures. Only the federal Environmental Protection Agency can do that. Until EPA approves the 1997 plan, the judge said, the only plan in effect is the 1994 plan.

Under the Clean Air Act, the EPA is required to approve or reject a revised plan within 18 months. For the 1997 plan, this deadline was Aug. 5, 1998. If necessary, AQMD intends to sue the EPA to force it to comply with the law and take action on our plan.

Caught in the middle is a public left with an uncertain path to clean air and thousands of business owners who must make financial decisions without knowing which future measures might be required --or worse, infeasible and costly measures that do little to reduce smog.

BARRY R. WALLERSTEIN

Acting Executive Officer

AQMD, Diamond Bar