HOUSE OKS BILL TO REROUTE TRAIL.

Byline: Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writer

A three-mile section of the Pacific Coast Trail that runs along an Agua Dulce highway would be rerouted through the Angeles National Forest under a bill approved Thursday by the House.

The 2,650-mile trail, which follows the coast from the Pacific Northwest to Southern California, goes along Agua Dulce Canyon Road at one point, mixing hikers with traffic.

That potential hazard is what prompted U.S. Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, to push for inclusion of $1.5 million into the 2000 Interior Appropriations Act, approved in a 377-47 vote, said McKeon aide David Foy.

The bill identifies the trail as a high priority for the U.S. Forest Service. It also requires the U.S. Interior and Agriculture departments to work with the Pacific Crest Trail Association to identify, assess and list by priority improvements for the trail.

Once the measure is approved by the House of Representatives, committee hearings would be held to iron out any difference between the house version of the bill and one being heard in the Senate, Foy said. Amended bills would be sent back to the respective houses and, if approved, eventually sent to the president. The deadline is Oct. 1.

McKeon argued that the trail has received little public money compared with its eastern counterpart, the Appalachian Trail, completed with $200 million in federal funding.

For the most part, the trail crosses federal park or forest land, but like the Agua Dulce segment, 300 miles of the pathway runs along highways and easements.

``In certain locations, there are relocations that could provide a much more scenic route and a significantly higher quality hiking experience for trail users,'' McKeon said in a statement.