CONGRESSMAN'S WORDS CONTRADICT, CRITICS SAY.

Byline: Teresa Jimenez Daily News Staff Writer

Though Rep. Howard P. ``Buck'' McKeon criticized the American Heritage Rivers Initiative as unreasonable federal involvement in local issues, he continues to battle a dump in Elsmere Canyon on private land under Los Angeles County's jurisdiction.

In a statement issued last week, McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, boasted of his efforts to help in the Elsmere battle and to secure money for the Pacific Crest Trail, but criticized government agencies getting involved in local issues.

``My position has always been to protect our nation's resources. I authored legislation that successfully banned construction of a 190-million-ton mega-dump in Elsmere Canyon. I am seeking $5 million in federal funds to improve the Pacific Crest Train, including a three-mile section in Agua Dulce,'' McKeon said.

But in the next paragraph, he said, ``This is a beautiful valley, and we can keep it that way ourselves. We should be wary when anyone says: `I'm from the federal government and I'm here to help.' ''

That has some residents wondering if they could trust their congressman.

``It's really a contradiction,'' said Lynne Plambeck with the Santa Clarita Organization for Planning the Environment. ``On the one hand, the federal government can help and on the other hand it can't.''

McKeon's press secretary, David Foy, said the differences are easy to explain. Browning-Ferris Industries had planned to swap land with the Angeles National Forest to create an even larger dump. In response, McKeon sponsored legislation that forbade such swaps.

``Elsmere involved the management of federal land,'' Foy said. ``He's fighting it now as a leader. It's an important wildlife corridor.''

BFI's latest proposal involves no public land.

The Pacific Crest Trail is essentially a federal issue because it crosses over several states, Foy said. Besides, federal funding has already been set aside for the purchase of recreational land, he said.

``It's the best of both worlds,'' Foy said. ``We get the money and we don't get the federal bureaucrat as opposed to the American Heritage program, where you don't get money but you get a bureaucrat.''

Still, critics accuse McKeon of opposing inclusion of the Santa Clara River in the American Heritage Rivers program because The Newhall Land and Farming Co. opposes it.

Newhall Land officials plan to develop thousands of acres along the river through Valencia and west to the Ventura County line.

After initial criticism arose about the American Heritage Rivers Initiative, President Clinton changed the program, allowing members of Congress to exclude their districts by writing a letter.

McKeon, in his statement, said a decision already had been made to ask for the exclusion before Newhall Land officials made the request.

``This request came late in the game, long after I had already made my decision and the letter in question had been drafted and was going through the final editing stages,'' McKeon said.

Still, according to the federal Council on Environmental Quality, which is overseeing the program, McKeon missed the May deadline for requesting exclusions. His letter, dated June 3, was submitted to the committee after the initial set was distributed, said Elliot Diringer, spokesman for the council.

``The reason he did it was because Newhall Land wanted him to do it. That's the bottom line. There's nothing else to it,'' Councilwoman Jill Klajic said.

McKeon has stated several reasons for opposing the rivers program, including his concern over a ``federal power-grab by President Clinton'' and its vague, open-ended description that could lead to land-use regulations.

McKeon added in his defense of his stand against the rivers program that he was unaware of the city's interest in participating.

``My office never heard a word of support for the initiative from the city of Santa Clarita,'' McKeon said in his statement. ``The City Council never voted on this. I learned after the fact that some city staff had written a letter supporting Ventura County's application, but that was not communicated to me.''

But the City Council in December 1997 decided to support the program, and a letter signed by then-Mayor Clyde Smyth was submitted as part of the application process.

``Our lesson here is I guess we need to forward these things to his office,'' Councilwoman Laurene Weste said.

Klajic was less kind, stating that McKeon, former mayor of the city, should know when a program could benefit or at least bring honor upon the city.

``If McKeon wants to blame the city for not telling him the river is important, fine,'' Klajic said.

CAPTION(S):

Photo

PHOTO McKEON