European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 7, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 6 a the stars and stripes saturday March 7, 1992 smog Exchange designed to clean up s. California Diamond bar Calif. A a Quot smog Exchange Quot for Southern California in which dirty companies would buy pollution credits from clean ones won preliminary approval thursday night. Quot there a Gold in that Brown Haze a Henry w. Wedaa chairman of the air Quality management District said before the Board voted 8-1 to order its staff to spend a year designing the program. The Board later would have to give the final go ahead. The 2,800-company Exchange would be intended to give businesses financial incentives to meet clean air goals rather than to order them to comply through regulations. The ultimate goal to help clean the nations dirtiest air. The plan Calls for issuing companies permits that have a certain value a not in dollars but in pounds of pollutants. The permits would be for hydrocarbons or oxides of nitrogen the primary components of smog. Each year the Stock a a value would shrink forcing companies to reduce emissions. Businesses that exceed clean air goals could sell their leftover pollution credits to dirtier companies. Quot the comparative flexibility of this concept of harvesting pollution makes the old approach seem rigid and costly Quot Wedaa said. Board member Larry Berg voted against the plan. He said too Many questions were unresolved including whether the Cost of smog shares would drive smaller businesses out of Southern California. A i fundamentally do not believe this will work a Berg said. During a hearing earlier thursday George h. Bali Kian president of Arco products co., said proposed emission reductions under the plan were too severe. A we re going to either have to Cut production substantially in our los Angeles refinery which Means additional unemployment and higher gasoline prices or we re going to have to buy massive amounts of emission credits Quot Babikian said. Businesses and environmentalists generally have supported the concept of a a smog Exchange a but they both say a number of bugs have to be worked out. The proposed regional clean air incentives Market a sort of new York Stock Exchange of smog would include big polluters in los Angeles Orange Riverside and san Bernardino counties. Of the total number of companies covered 2,000 businesses Emit 85 percent of smog forming hydrocarbons 700 release 95 percent of All polluting nitrogen oxide emissions and 100 Emit nearly All of the Fulfur oxides. T the plan Calls for eliminating about 40 existing or proposed clean air rules. These rules require companies to use certain kinds of equipment or methods to Cut Down emissions. The hearing was among the most closely watched proceedings in Board history. The auditorium was filled with 300 people and an additional 100 watched on a hallway television Monitor. Gotti trial s witness blames childhood for his life of crime new York apr the Star witness against re fluted mob Boss John Gotti blamed his life of crime a rom Small time hoodlum to powerful mobster a on his childhood friends and neighbourhood thursday. And he acknowledged that in that neighbourhood he would now be known As a  in testimony that was followed by a courthouse emptying bomb threat Salvatore Quot Sammy Bull Gravano also testified that Gotti was an unyielding foe of drugs. Gravano a 46-Ycar-old career hoodlum who admits to 19 slayings acknowledged he made a Deal to cooperate with prosecutors in the Hopes of someday getting out of  the first hours of an aggressive Cross examination by defense attorney Albert j. Krieger Gravano said he wants to turn his life around. Mockingly Krieger asked Quot you want to be a guardian of orphan children or a role Model for the youth of the City Quot Quot maybe so some other kids done to get their lives destroyed like i did a replied Gravano gottis former close Friend and und Cross of the Gambino crime family. Quot when i was a kid i ran in gangs 1 dropped out of school in the eighth Grade. It was the environment. It did no to seem  t Gravano said he began his life of crime As a stick up Man and committed his first slaying when he was 24. Krieger asked Gravano whether in his old Brooklyn neighbourhood there was a term for people like him. Quot informer a Gravano said. A is there another word a Quot a rat Quot Gravano said. The trial was in recess when the bomb threat was phoned in the Early afternoon. The Federal courthouse was evacuated for an hour while bomb squad officers with dogs checked the building. When the trial resumed judge i. Leo Glasser said the scare Quot has nothing to do with any of the particulars of this  Twenty minutes later Glasser suddenly adjourned the trial Tor the Day after being handed a note. Officials said a second threat had been reported but was being treated As a Crank Call. The courthouse Wasny to evacuated. Gravano had been gottis most trusted aide until last october when he agreed to become a government witness. Gravano like co defendants Gotti 51, and Frank Quot Frankie Locso Locascio 59, had faced a life term. Under his Deal he faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years. Quot in the Federal system when you re sentenced to life people evacuate the Brooklyn Federal courthouse after a bomb threat thursday. The trial of reputed mob Boss John Gotti is being held there. Without parole you come out in a Box. Right Quot Krieger asked. A i guess so a Gravano replied. Quot you said to them a i will give you John gottis head on a Platter. You give me my Freedom a a Krieger asked. Quot no a Gravano replied. Gotti who allegedly seized control of the Gambino family with the december 1985 slayings of former Boss Paul Castellano and his bodyguard Thomas by Hytti is accused of murders loan sharking obstruction of Justice and other crimes. Girl scouts find prisoners have yen for cookies from wire reports Graterford a. Girl scout cookies Are a hot commodity at Graterford prison. Jailbird have bought More than 1,900 boxes of cookies this year nearly double last years total said officials at the suburban Philadelphia Pris on girl scouts Are not personally Selling their cookies at the prison but have contracted about 25 convicts to take orders. Sales Are brisk even though the cookies Cost $2.50 a Box and Many inmates earn less than 50 cents an hour for prison work. The idea took hold after a group of lifers at Graterford prison saw a television and for the treats last year and contacted the local girl scout chapter. It worked so Well that it was expanded this year to the prisons in Bucks and Chester  Way appointment Washington a United Way of America whose president resigned last week following reports of mismanagement and extravagance thursday named an ism vice president to serve As its interim Leader. Kenneth w. Dam in my a vice president for Law and external relations will Start serving immediately As president and chief executive officer for the embattled organization said United Way spokesman Tony de Cristofaro. Dam who is due to retire from ism in september will serve until United ways Board of directors completes its search for a permanent replacement for William Aramony. The appointment comes a week after the 64-year-old Aramony resigned after 22 years As the head of the nations largest Charity. He apologized for a a Lack of sensitivity that led to complaints of extravagant spending and demands by local units for his  Driver charged Little Falls Minn. A a former greyhound bus Driver has been charged with careless driving and speeding on an icy Road after a crash killed one passenger and injured 30 others. The Misdemeanour charges were filed wednesday in Morrison county District court against Freddie l. Thigpen 35, of St. Paul county attorney Conrad Freeberg said thursday. No hearing has been set. Thigpenn a bus was travelling from new York to Seattle dec. 7 when it hit a car on a Highway North of Little Falls went Down a slope and rolled on its Side. Thigpen was fired dec. 13 for failing to avoid a preventable Accident and for two previous speeding tickets said greyhound spokesman Bill  tourism drops Miami a Florida suffered in 1991 its biggest tourism decline since the 1972 Energy crisis. State officials blamed the recession plummeting consumer Confidence and airline bankruptcies for the fall. The number of tourists dropped from 41 million in 1990 to 39.3 million last year a a dip of 4.1 percent. State researchers determined that Auto traffic was Down 0,6 percent and air traffic Down 7.4 percent.2 admit embezzlement Washington a two former clerks for the House Post office pleaded guilty on thursday to embezzling Money from the office. Edward c. Pogue Iii 21, of Arlington va., and Celia Gutierrez 40, of Silver Spring md., each pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement . Attorney Jay Stephens said. Pogue has admitted stealing More than $7,000 Between november 1990 and april Stephens said. Gutierrez admitted embezzling More than $4,000 Between january 1991 and july Stephens said. Both have agreed to cooperate in an investigation of the Post office