Governor's Race in Iowa Hinges on Undecideds

A NEW poll shows Iowa's governor's race in a statistical dead heat, with the outcome resting with a significant group of stubbornly uncommitted voters.

In the survey, Republican Gov. Terry Branstad was favored by 45 percent of those questioned, while Democrat Bonnie Campbell was favored by 43 percent, and 12 percent were undecided.

With a 3.5 percentage point margin of error, the difference between the two candidates was statistically meaningless. The poll was conducted by the Washington-based Political Media Research Inc. for Iowa news organizations.

Branstad's support has grown only marginally in polls since May 1993, from 43 percent, while Campbell has come up from 36 percent.

Air quality improves but 43 cities falter

AIR quality is improving, but 43 metropolitan regions, home to nearly 100 million Americans, still have smog-causing pollution that flunks federal requirements, the Environmental Protection Agency says.

The EPA's annual assessment of urban air pollution, released Wednesday, showed that 48 of 91 regional areas singled out in 1990 as having unacceptable air because of ozone have since come into federal compliance.

But in 43 regions, ozone levels continued to be detected in excess of 0.12 parts per million, violating federal health standards. Nearly 100 million people live in the areas found in violation, the EPA estimated.

None of these cities - all with ``severe'' air pollution problems - is expected to meet federal standards until 2005 or later.

The seven regions that failed to meet their 1993 deadlines are classified as having ``marginal'' air pollution. EPA officials said the communities probably would be given one-year extensions and not face sanctions.

They are: Calcascieu Parish, La., Door County, Wis.; Hancock County, Maine; Kent and Queen Anne's counties, Md.; Norfolk, Va.; Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and Smyth County, Va.

Regions with ``moderate'' air pollution must meet EPA standards by 1996. Fourteen of these 29 cities and counties failed to come into compliance this year, including Dallas-Fort Worth, Cincinnati, Cleveland, St. Louis, Phoenix, and Portland, Maine.