only one of 10 us metropolitan areas required to submit anti-pollution plans in 1999 have met the government's goals to crack down on smog into next millennium, the Environmental Protection Agency (epa) said recently. The 10 urban areas, that have violated the federal ozone standards, are mandated under the Clean Air Act to tell the pollution control body how they will reduce pollution and move from "non-attainment" status to meet federal standards by the middle of next decade.

But epa administrator Carol Browner said that of the 10, only the plan forwarded by the Springfield area of western Massachusetts was "sufficient. " Nine other metropolitan areas - Houston, Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago, Hartford, Milwaukee, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, dc must do more to address the problem of smog generated mainly by automobiles, heavy industry and power plants. "The plans we reviewed shows a strong commitment to reducing harmful air pollutants that cause smog," Browner said.