ENVIRONMENT : Northeast States Move to Adopt Strict California Emission Rules : Opponents say standards are too narrow, that job losses and economic hardship would outweigh benefits.

BOSTON — States across the Northeast are moving to adopt California’s proposed tough automobile emission standards as part of a regional strategy by regulators to combat unhealthy air.

But the action by regulators is stirring lively debate in nearly every state, with environmentalists hailing it and the automobile and oil industries sharply opposing it.

Officials from 12 Eastern states, from Virginia to Maine, and the District of Columbia, have agreed over the last few months to pursue adoption of California’s proposed standards, which are currently under federal review.

Since then, two of the states, Massachusetts and New York, have adopted the California program. New Jersey has proposed regulations to adopt the program, while Maine and Pennsylvania are drafting them. In most of the other Northeast states, officials are seeking legislation enabling them to issue the regulations.

The activity has been spurred by the 1990 amendments to the Clean Air Act, which set new deadlines for states to meet national air quality standards. Deadlines vary, based on a state’s air quality conditions.

As a result of a provision in the 1990 amendments, the Northeast states formed the Ozone Transport Commission, a multi-state organization to coordinate anti-pollution strategies.

The decision to seek California’s emission standards is a major part of the commission’s strategy, which also includes commitments by the states to seek federal approval to mandate the sale of cleaner gasoline in high smog areas, and to take other steps to control emissions from mobile and stationary sources.

BACKGROUND: California for the last two decades has been allowed, with federal approval, to set stricter emission standards than the rest of the country. Its most recent program would require manufacturers to meet increasingly stringent average emission standards for new vehicles sold in California, beginning in 1994.

Other states since 1977 have had the option of adopting California’s standards. Northeast regulators say they propose to do so now because of the severity of their smog problem and the key role automobiles play in causing it.

While Los Angeles has the nation’s worst smog levels, regulators here say the severity of the problem in the Northeast is comparable to that of California as a whole.

Smog is composed primarily of ozone, which is formed during warm weather when hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides combine in the presence of sunlight.

“You cannot belittle the severity of the problem on the East Coast,” said Alan VanArsdale, an analyst with Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management. He noted that there are four to five multi-day episodes each summer in which must of the Northeast has unsafe ozone levels.

Regulators say automobiles are a logical target since they contribute about half the ozone-forming pollutants.

While the 1990 Clean Air amendments increase federal emission standards, Northeast regulators say they need to adopt the stricter California emission levels in order to meet and maintain the federal air quality standards.

DEBATE: Massachusetts Environmental Affairs Secretary Susan Tierney said adoption of the California program also has an economic rationale: Without it, her state would have to impose severe curbs on small-scale polluters, including small businesses, to meet air quality targets.

But automobile and oil industry lobbyists point to a report prepared for the American Petroleum Institute that warns the region could lose close to 300,000 jobs because of higher vehicle and gas prices if the California program is enacted.

NESCAUM said the study, prepared by Massachusetts-based DRI/McGraw Hill, failed to assess positive economic impacts resulting from cleaner air or the impact of sanctions that would follow if air standards are not met.

Marcel Halberstadt, a spokesman for the Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Assn., also claimed the California program offered “negligible” clean air benefits over those that would result from the new federal emission standards. Regulators counter that the California program offers significant long-term benefits since it provides for continuing emission reductions while the federal standards remain constant.

Debate has also raged over the cost of the program to consumers, with industry estimating new emission equipment could raise the price of a new vehicle by $1,000, and regulators accepting the California estimate of $170.

Industry officials have urged regulators to delay adoption of the program, saying its benefits won’t begin to be felt until the late 1990s, when significant numbers of new cars come on line with the new equipment.

But Paul Billings, of the American Lung Assn., said the cost of inaction is continuing damage to the lungs of those who live in the region.

Going California: Where They Stand

Twelve Northeastern states, along with the District of Columbia, have agreed to pursue adoption of California’s Low Emission Vehicle program. Here’s the status of the regulatory efforts in each state.

CONNECTICUT. The state has announced it will adopt the California program beginning with the 1998 automobile model year. The regulations, which do not require legislation, are expected to be proposed about 1994.

DELAWARE. Regulators plan to seek legislation in 1993 enabling them to adopt the California program. If the legislation passes, the program could take effect by 1996.

MAINE. The state is drafting regulations to adopt the California program by the 1994 or 1995 model year. Regulators say no special legislation is required. Hearings are expected late this spring or summer.

MARYLAND. Regulators proposed legislation this year authorizing the program beginning with model year 1996. But the bill died in a Senate committee. It may be reintroduced next session.

MASSACHUSETTS. Adopted the California program effective the 1995 model year. The action, taken in May, followed hearings last fall and a vote of the Legislature mandating the new standards in December, 1990.

NEW HAMPSHIRE. Signed the agreement to pursue adoption of the California program, but Gov. Judd Gregg has recently said more analysis is needed to determine if the state needs the program to meet its air quality standards.

NEW JERSEY. Proposed regulations in February to adopt the standards. Hearings are set for May and June. If the regulations are approved this fall, the program would take effect for the model year 1996. No legislation is required.

NEW YORK. Adopted regulations incorporating the standards in March. The rules take effect in mid-May and will affect cars beginning with the 1995 model year. The industry is appealing a 1991 New York State Supreme Court ruling challenging the authority of regulators to issue the rules.

PENNSYLVANIA. Gov. Robert P. Casey has announced that the state will adopt California standards beginning with the 1996 model year. Regulations are still being prepared. Legislative committees have also held hearings on the matter, though regulators apparently have the authority to act.

RHODE ISLAND. Regulators say they are committed to adopting the program, but a bill allowing them to do so remains in a House committee and regulations have not yet been drafted. No target year has been set.

VERMONT. Regulators sought legislation this year to adopt the program beginning with the 1995 model year, but it is not expected to win passage. Another attempt may be made next year.

VIRGINIA. Gov. L. Douglas Wilder has agreed to seek adoption of the program in the northern part of the state. Any action, however, will await a study on all aspects of the emission issue. A panel is due to report its findings in 1993.

WASHINGTON, D.C. Has set up a committee to study the impact of adopting the regulations. No target date has been set.

OUTSIDE THE REGION: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Texas and Washington are all considering adoption of the California plan.

California standards accepted. (Regulations not yet adopted in some states):

Maine

Massachusetts

Connecticut

New York

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Seeking legislation to adopt California standards or to study further:

New Hampshire

Vermont

Rhode Island

Delaware

Maryland

Washington D.C.

Virginia