Panel of Experts Finds That Anti-Pollution Laws Are Outdated
By ANDREW C. REVKIN

Despite three decades of progress, existing air-quality laws are inadequate to prevent pollution from threatening the environment and human health, the nation's top scientific advisory group concluded yesterday.

The panel, the National Research Council of the National Academies, said it was particularly concerned about ozone, an ingredient of smog that has proved difficult to curtail, and fine soot, which has been shown to be especially harmful.

State and local authorities in many polluted regions are increasingly finding that even if they control local emissions, they can end up violating federal standards because of additional pollution drifting from sources outside their jurisdiction.

And even though individual smokestacks and tailpipes are generally getting cleaner as a result of clean-air laws, their numbers are growing rapidly because of economic and population growth.

"Even if you say, `Let's not get any better than today,' you're still going to have to do a lot more because the economy is going to grow and we'll have more emissions," said Dr. William L. Chameides, the chairman of the 25-member panel of experts in environmental science, law, engineering and public policy.

In some cases existing rules can be improved, the report went on, but Congress will also have to pass new legislation, including revisions to the 1970 Clean Air Act.