European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 4, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday. October 4. 1985page 4 the stars and stripes Friday. Ight Speed violations May Cost 3 states funds Washington a the trans Portal inn department has advised Ihrck mates thai they May lose up to 10 percent of their Federal Highway Money for non interstate construction because Loo Many Drivers arc violating the 55 Mph Speed limit officials said wednesday. A spokesman for he Federal Highway administration emphasised that no decision has been made in whether Art on Mary land and Vermont will fax sanctions be cause of the Speed limit Issue. But. In releasing fiscal 19sft Highway funds to nil Stales the Agency advised transportation departments in the three states to set up a 10 percent Reserve of their Federal Money in Case the sanctions arc imposed there has been no decision made whether sanctions should be  Agency spokesman Lyric Bollon pm phase cd. Under the Law. The Federal Highway Agency May withhold up to 10 percent of Federal non interstate Highway funds if sur Veys How that More than 50 percent of a state s Drivers arc exceeding Thi 55 Mph Speed limit. In surveys conducted in i9m and submitted in the Agency this year. Arizona  found to have had 56.3 percent of its Drivers in violation Maryland. 59.9 percent and Vermont. 51.x percent. Bollon emphasised however that the figures reflected raw Survey data and Var ious mitigating circumstances could bring some of the states perhaps All three into compliance. He said an administrative Law judge is to hear the Case within the next few weeks ind a decision on withholding the funds should be made shortly thereafter. Various Federal studies have shown wide spread violation of the 55 Mph Speed limit and each car some slates come close to having Highway Money withheld. But no slate has actually lost Federal Money be cause of Speed Hmil violations. But some Federal and slate officials be Lieve this Lime Money actually might be withheld to set an example. They re trying to get everybody s Atten Tion   James Creedon Dep Uty director of the Ari Nna department of transportation. He said his state could lose about $5. Million if a full 10 percent is u it Fifield. Possible losses for Maryland and ver Mont were not immediately available. Maryland will pet $59.9 million and ver Mont will get  million for Highway construction in fiscal 1986, which began tuesday but that includes Money for inner Stalc construction which is not subject to penalty. Bolton said if sanctions arc imposed against the states they could lose anywhere from a nominal amount to the full 10 per cent depending on what inc Highway Agency decides. Meanwhile Federal and state transportation officials said the advisory to hold some of the fiscal 1986 funds in Reserve will have no Impact on actual Highway projects since most of the funds would nol be used for months anyway space teacher Busy studying training continues in Houston for Chrisla Mcauliffe the teacher from Concord n.h., who will Fly aboard he space shuffle in january. She adjusts her oxygen mask As she prepares for an orientation flight aboard one of the t-28 Nasa training Plant s. Its Pilot is the commander of he january flight Dick Scot. . Safety Agency eases fuel Economy san cards for 1986-mode/ vehicles Washington a the govern ment acceding to requests from the nation s two largest automakers ivs relaxed fuel Economy standards for 1986 Model vehicles but the car makers say they won t be satisfied without similar Rollback for future years. General motors corp. And Ford motor co. Both praised he National Highway traffic safety administration s decision tuesday a reduce Overall mileage requirements for i98h passenger fleets from 27.5 Miles per gallon to 26 mpg. They said similar rollbacks arc needed in subsequent Model years although the government has Cyl to Rule on their petitions for those reductions. Chrysler which opposed the Rollback said in n statement we arc extremely disappointed. The fuel Economy Stan Dards were established after the 1974 Energy crisis. Weakening the standards de fies reason and makes the nation vulnerable to another Energy  Chrysler invested a record $4.8 Bil lion to convert he overwhelming majority of our Fleet to fuel efficient front wheel drive vehicles said Chrysler spokesman Doug Nicoll in Detroit. Chrysler proved the technology exists to obey the Law he said adding that the Standard is Good for the american con Sumer. It should be Good enough for All of America s automakers he added. But pm and Ford threatened to sus Walter Polovchak s Legal Battle ends ch1cago up Walter Polovchak the ukrainian youth who ran away from his parents rather than return to the soviet Union turned 18 thursday giving him the Legal status that Means he will never have to leave the United states against his will. Polovchak plans to file for us Cit i Enship Scon his attorney said Popovchak whose decision to abandon his parents in favor of the United states sparked a five year Legal Battle was in California on his birthday. He appeared on a television talk show a Don t regret one thing 1 did Polo Chak told the new York times. If i had to do it again i d do it again. You be got to split up with your parents sooner or  Walter who jives with his sister in Chi Cago and attends Public High school said he received a Telegram this we Csc from his parents Michael and Anna Polovchak. It said Happy birthday. Wish you the  Harvey m. Grossman the american civil liberties Union attorney who has rep resented Polovchak s parents in . Courts said he talks with them regularly. They re Bitler he said. But Waller who claimed that he would end up in jail if he returned to the soviet Union said be believes his parents secretly approve of his decision. I really think that even though they cannot speak Oul in inc soviet Union deep inside they really want me to stay he said. I m sure they re glad i m  in july 1980, Polovchak then 12, ran away from Home a Alicr than return to his native Ukraine with his immigrant parents who did not find the life icy had expected in the United states. Carter administration immigration officials granted Polovchak political Asylum. A year later under the Reagan administration the Justice department granted him permanent residency status. About three months before the residency status was approved the immigration and nalu Rali action service issued a departure control order preventing anyone from Tak ing Polovchak out of the United slates. The ins order set off inc Legal Battle that came to an end with Polovchak s 18th birthday. The american civil liberties Union took the parents Side claiming that their rights had been violated by the . Government. In june 1985, a Federal judge ruled that immigration officials violated the rights of Polovchak s parents by nol giving them a hearing before inc Deparl Urc control order was issued. Senior . District judge Thomas r. Mcmillan also ruled that too much time had passed to order a hearing for the parents and said they could return to Chicago and Lake him Back to the Ukraine. A minor child of tender years does not have the right o control his own destiny Mcmillen said in the ruling. The 7ih circuit court of Appeal How Ever disagreed with Mcmillan. Pend production at Large ear Assembly plants if they did l gel heir Way on the i98d Standard. Ford also cautioned thai several Hundred jobs at its Cleveland engine p and remain a stake unless \9b7 and i9k8 standards arc relaxed. Tuesday s ruling  final the High Way Agency s tentative decision in july to Case 1986 mileage standards from what Congress had established. In explaining its decision the Agency said the higher mileage requirement would have meant sales losses amounting to hundreds of thousands of cars. The Agency said in would have placed unreasonable restrictions on the variety of cars available to Consumers. The Nitsa action to adjust the 1986 fuel Economy standards is encouraging and in keeping Wilh inc require ments of both the Law and the real world pm said in a statement on the Agency s ruling. Similar adjustment of the Standard for future Model years is equally important Helen Petrauskas vice president for safety and environmental engineering at Ord issued a Stalc Mcnol praising the decision As Good Public policy but it also sought further government action. I Van though Ford today offers Many very High fuel Economy models and plans to continue to do so stable gasoline prices and customer demand for larger cars will require that similar adjustments be made for 1987-89 also she said. The Agency said its final decision on the 1986 Model year came after review ing Public comments and other information that indicated Adverse economic consequences including Job losses in the tens of thousands in the Auto Industry if the Standard was nol  the Standard applies to a car maker s Fleet average so some models May gel worse mileage than the Standard if other models in the Fleet make up for it by doing better than the Standard. Congress in 1975 set the Paisa Ngor car Standard at 27,5 mpg for Model year 1985 and beyond As part of an Energy conservation initiative but in gave the Highway Agency authority to revise the Standard if some other level was deemed the maximum feasible for a Given year. The Agency said Ford and pm made substantial efforts and Progress toward meeting the 27.5 mpg requirement. But it said factors beyond their control including declining fuel prices led to in creased consumer demand for larger cars and engines and made it impossible for the two automakers to meet that level without severely restricting the production of larger less fuel efficient