July 27, 1999

Philip Morris Cos, world's largest cigarette maker, has engaged in lavish behind-the-scenes effort to win favor in New York State Legislature, spending tens of thousands of dollars on gifts for lawmakers in its largely successful campaign to defeat anti-smoking measures in Albany; at least 115 current and former members of 211-person Legislature have accepted gifts, ranging from meals at fine restaurants to tickets to sporting and cultural events; practice has largely escaped scrutiny because state lawmakers have declined to require disclosure of all gifts; some who accepted gifts say there is nothing untoward about such favors, many of which would be illegal in some states and Congress; because of murky and barely policed legislative ethics rules legality of many gifts is difficult to gauge; legislators are barred from accepting gifts of more than $75 if they are intended as reward or to influence decisions (M)

Environmental Protection Agency will propose that Congress no longer require oil companies to add special ingredient to gasoline to make air cleaner, because it pollutes water; special panel will recommend that use of MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether), which is possible carcinogen, be reduced substantially because it dissolves easily in water and turns up in tap water when gasoline has leaked or spilled; administrator Carol M Browner says she will urge Congress to change rules passed in 1990 requiring oil companies to put oxygenate in gasoline which promotes more thorough burning in engines; agency's past defense of MTBE to critics, who said it posed health problems, noted; additive makes up 3 to 5 percent of national gasoline supply (M)

Japan, forced by United States to open its cellular phone market five years ago, has leap-frogged under pressure of competition to front of global pack; now has higher concentration of cellular phones than does United States, has caught up with Europe and plans to move ahead in 2001 by introducing 'third generation' cellular phone technology, which promises much greater clarity and ability to transmit data and video; has not been handicapped, as has United States, by competing technologies; graphs; drawing; photo (M)

Giuliani administration has denied budget increases to 10 business groups that oversee security, sanitation and other services throughout city, in effort to get such organizations to not only tighten their belts but also to rethink their role; Deputy Mayor Rudy Washington says that most of groups, which are known as business improvement districts, have been duplicating work of government agencies rather than devising ways to 'complement government' (M)

Woodstock '99 promoters and Rome and Oneida County officials are trying to determine why thousands of young people went on violent and frightening rampage at end of music festival; some concert goers say violence was directed at high prices promoters charged for food, water and merchandise; others question why it took more than hour for state troopers to move in; seven people were injured, and only seven people were arrested; photo (M)