Henry Wedaa

* We cannot afford to lose Hank Wedaa as chairman of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Those who advocate his removal apparently have little understanding of the federal and state laws under which the SCAQMD is required to operate (Nov. 5-6).

Replacing Wedaa with one who “better reflects Orange Country’s point of view” would make the district wide open to endless litigation aimed at forcing the district to adopt rules that the new chairman might not support but which are required by statute.

The EPA and the Air Resources Board would be forced to step in, delays inevitably would result with predictable detriments to the environment, and businesses would be deluded into thinking that they could avoid cleanup requirements which, in fact, they cannot avoid by statute.

The advocates of Wedaa’s removal would do us all a favor by recognizing that federal and state legislators are responsible for the occasionally onerous or unworkble provisions of those statutes, and any improvements to the system can come only from futher action by those legislators. Public-service citizens like Wedaa are faced with a most difficult task in trying to fairly implement those statutory requirements.

Wedaa deserves our thanks, not the backs of our hands.

CARLTON B. SCOTT

Los Alamitos