Local News in Brief : Countywide : Southland Government Panel Delays Air Vote

The executive committee of the Southern California Assn. of Governments voted unanimously Thursday for a 90-day delay in a key vote on a proposed clean-air plan for the 4-county South Coast Air Basin.

The 20-member board said it would extend the public comment period on the air-management plan until Jan. 31, 1989. The action came in reaction to a legal ruling by the South Coast Air Quality Management District that its own environmental impact report on the air plan is flawed and that more time is needed for public comment.

The management plan is a 20-year blueprint for bringing Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside and San Bernardino counties into compliance with federal clean-air standards for air pollutants that include ozone and carbon monoxide.

SCAG committee members said Thursday that they hope the AQMD board will agree to a joint meeting March 17 to vote on the plan after evaluating public comments, as well as alternatives proposed by the Southern California Edison Co. and the Western Oil and Gas Assn., which represents major oil companies. Both Edison and oil interests had previously called for a 90-day delay so their proposals could be evaluated.

SCAG Executive Director Mark Pisano said the “burden of proof” has now shifted to the business interests to demonstrate why their alternatives are better.

The SCAG committee said it would hold a public hearing Feb. 2 before the March 17 vote to re-examine growth and transportation segments of the plan.