TRANSPORTATION FUNDS IN PERIL; POLLUTION ISSUES COULD COST REGION $22 BILLION.

Byline: Troy Anderson Daily News Staff Writer

Southern California faces the potential loss of $22 billion in federal money for freeway improvements and mass transportation because of violations of the Clean Air Act, officials said.

A federal court recently ruled in favor of the Environmental Defense Fund, saying the region's transportation plan violates clean-air rules and therefore is ineligible for federal money.

Environmentalists contend the plan must go further to reduce the number of people in cars.

``We continue to build roads, widen roads, and that fosters more use of the automobile, which works against the goal of a transportation plan that achieves clean air,'' said Tim Carmichael, policy director at the Coalition for Clean Air in Santa Monica. ``So there has been skepticism about whether the region's plan is sufficient.''

Officials of the Southern California Association of Governments assert their plan fights air pollution and corrections can be made to avert loss of the funding. The 184 cities and six counties covered by the plan could lose $22 billion between 1999 and 2005 for road maintenance, new highways, transit buses and other transportation needs.

``It has the ring of sounding like it's a big crisis, but it's not,'' said John Cox, director of performance evaluation at SCAG. ``All the steps necessary between the federal highway department, EPA and SCAG are being undertaken to deal with the problem.''

David Stein, manager of performance assessment at SCAG, said the problem stems from a computer analysis that shows air pollution levels exceeding federal limits. But he said another analysis shows the transportation plan will meet air pollution standards.

``We're confident we won't lose the money and will meet air standards,'' he said, adding the U.S. Department of Transportation will decide if the plan meets air pollution standards.

SCAG is required by federal and state law to revise its regional transportation plan at least once every three years. The last plan was adopted in 1994.

Major transportation projects seeking either federal or state funding must be consistent with provisions of this plan.

Part of the transportation plan requires that projects and programs conform to air quality requirements under the Clean Air Act.

By the year 2020, the Los Angeles Basin's population will grow by 7 million people to more than 22 million, the equivalent of two more cities the size of Chicago, according to SCAG.

The area's roads, freeways, airports and rail systems will become even more clogged.

The region's air quality, while improving in recent years, is still the worst in the nation and is expected to only worsen under the increased population.

After experiencing only one Stage 1 smog alert in 1997 during El Nino weather conditions, the Los Angeles Basin saw 12 Stage 1 smog alerts in 1998 in La Nina conditions, said Sam Atwood, spokesman for the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

``We should have better air quality this summer than last, barring more extreme heat like we saw last summer,'' Atwood said. ``Last summer was apparently the hottest summer in history. It was a record year worldwide, including here in the Southland.''

SCAG, a regional planning agency comprising six counties and 184 cities in Southern California, is charged with finding solutions to growth and transportation issues.

Specifically, SCAG is charged with developing plans and policies affecting all aspects of regional transportation, including roads, highways, railroads, airports and seaports.