BILL FOR A.V. AIR DISTRICT CLEARS PANEL.

Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer

A bill to create a separate Antelope Valley air pollution district was passed out of the state Assembly Appropriations Committee, officials said Wednesday.

The bill, AB 2666, must clear the Assembly by May 31 and be signed by the governor by Aug. 30 if it is to become law this year. A vote by the Assembly is expected early next week, officials said.

``The Antelope Valley is in an entirely different air basin than Los Angeles, yet our business community is forced to adhere to constraining and unnecessary air quality standards put forth by the South Coast Air Quality Management District,'' said Assemblyman W.J. ``Pete'' Knight, R-Palmdale. ``We need to bring local control back to the issue of air quality control in the Antelope Valley.''

Denise Henderson, chairwoman of the Antelope Valley Board of Trade ad hoc committee advocating the separate district, flew to Sacramento to lobby for the bill.

Henderson said she believes, based on talks with Knight, that the bill should clear the Assembly. The vote is likely to be along party lines, Henderson said, and since Republicans control the Assembly it should pass.

The bill might face a tougher challenge in the Democrat-controlled Senate, Henderson said.

``It will probably go to the local government committee first. We're going to see who is on that committee and meet with them and get them to understand what this bill is about,'' Henderson said.

The project's backers must obtain the approval of the state Legislature, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the AQMD board before a separate district can be created.

The cities of Palmdale and Lancaster already have approved the separate district.

The legislation calls for the district to be governed by a seven-member board, with two members each from the county, Lancaster and Palmdale. The seventh member would be selected by the other board members.

The district would require $334,160 in start-up costs, according to a consultant's report. The report does not specify a funding source, but said one option would be to have the fees collected in the region by the AQMD transferred to the new district.