WATCHING WASHINGTON CLEAN AIR BILL ADVANCES

The House of Representatives last week dashed out a Clean Air Act reauthorization bill that is close to the version passed earlier by the Senate.

The vote was 401-21.

The House bill has goals similar to the Senate bill but is different in some approaches. The bill faces a lengthy House-Senate conference committee this summer, but Congress is likely to approve a compromise version before it adjourns in the fall.

Enactment of the House version will halve sulfur emissions from utility smokestacks within a decade, require cleaner gasoline and tighter auto emissions controls, and closely regulate releases of toxic chemicals from manufacturing plants.

MORE FLEXIBILITY

Of main interest to the oil industry, the House bill incorporates an energy committee compromise that gives industry a little more flexibility in meeting gasoline requirements than the Senate bill.

The House bill regulates benzene and oxygen levels in reformulated gasoline beginning in 1992. It sets a minimum oxygen content level of 2.7% for gasoline sold in winter months in the 44 cities exceeding carbon monoxide levels.

The Senate bill sets gasoline standards for the dirtiest cities that are aimed at reducing smog forming emissions 15% by 1995-standards the auto industry also says are aimed at bolstering ethanol production because the only way to achieve them is with ethanol additives.

The House bill also requires reformulated gasoline to reduce emissions 15% by 1995 and 25% by 2000.

The House bill limits nitrogen oxide emissions, currently 1 g/gal, to 0.4 g/gal by 1996 and half that by 2003 if EPA determines it is necessary.

Hydrocarbon emissions, presently limited to 0.41 g/gal, are to be cut to 0.25 g/gal by 1996 and to 0. 125 g/gal in 2003 if EPA decides it is needed.

The oil industry worked against the amendment and will continue to do so in the conference committee. Bill O'Keefe, an American Petroleum Institute vice-president, said, "A specific recipe for gasoline is something we're not going to support."

Rep. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.) said, "This is not a recipe for government gasoline, as oil companies have alleged in a multimillion dollar campaign of disinformation."

The House defied a veto threat from President Bush, voting 274-146 to provide $250 million in relief for coal miners and plant workers who lose their jobs because of the new rules.

Like the Senate bill, the House measure requires industry to install best available technology by 2000 to control emissions of 200 toxic industrial emissions.

ALTERNATIVE FUEL CARS

Rather than adopt the Senate bill's plan for a 1 million car alternative fuels program, the House voted 405-15 to sponsor a pilot program in California, beginning in 1994, which would sponsor a total of 750,000 alternative fuel cars by 1997.

And the House voted 239-180 to lengthen auto makers' warranties for antipollution equipment on cars to 8 years or 80,000 miles.