News In Brief

Nine states ask federal order to force action on acid rain

Nine Northeastern states asked a federal judge Wednesday for an order forcing the Reagan administration to take some action on acid rain before the November election. At the heart of the case, debated in federal court, is a dispute over whether the Environmental Protection Agency can be compelled by October - or be given until early next year - to decide whether it will consider demands for reductions in sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants in seven Midwestern states. The judge did not indicate when she would rule on the case.