LOS ANGELES : 500 Old Cars to Be Scrapped in Smog Trade-Off Plan

Unocal Corp. will scrap as many as 500 smog-spewing old cars to offset emissions from its Los Angeles oil refinery under an air pollution program announced Wednesday by regulators.

Under the program, Los Angeles-based Unocal will buy and scrap pre-1972 cars and light trucks instead of making costly modifications to a marine terminal at the refinery. The program approved by the South Coast Air Quality Management District allows companies to cut smog from vehicles instead of from stationary sources. The program calls for a 20% greater reduction in air emissions from scrapping the old cars than would be achieved by making modifications to a plant. Unocal is the first company to earn approval for the car-scrapping program from local regulators.