Another Nail in the MTBE'S Coffin?

Another Nail in the MTBE'S Coffin? [1]

August 22, 2001

On Aug. 7, 2001, the New England Governors Conference weighed in on the debate over MTBE and ethanol, sending a resolution to Congress asking it to drop rules under the Clean Air Act that require either additive in automobile fuels. About 3/4 of all gas sold in the Northeast is reformulated (RFG) -- which means MTBE levels up to 11%.

Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) has come under increasing fire in recent years. While it has helped cities and regions around the country improve air quality, it has significantly degraded water quality. See these TipSheets:

In 1999, ME opted out of federal requirements to include oxygenates in its gasoline. In May, NH began the same process. CA is also seeking a way out of the program -- EPA recently denied that state's request for a waiver.

Eliminating MTBE without eliminating the oxygenate requirement means de facto requirement of ethanol in its place, according to a report by the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use MMgmt on which the New England action was based.

NESCAUM [5]: Jason Grumet [6], 617-367-8540 x216 or 202-496-9320. He says that ethanol's high volatility makes it a bad replacement in the summertime, when its vapors contribute to smog rather than relieving it.
EPA: Bob Judge [7], 617-918-1045.
Oxygenated Fuels Assoc. [8] (MTBE trade assoc.): Tom Adams, 202-393-6190. OFA statement about eliminating oxygenate requirement. [9]
American Coalition for Ethanol [10] (small ethanol producers): Trevor Guthmiller [11] (605-334-3381) or Bob Scott [12] (605-965-2206).
Renewable Fuels Assoc. [13] (big ethanol producers): Bob Dinneen, 202-289-3835.
ME Dept. of Environmental Protection: Jim Brooks [14], 207-287-7044.
NH Dept. of Environmental Services: Ken Colburn, 603-271-1380, MTBE documents [15].
Other state contacts: CT, Carmine DiBattista [16], 860-424-3026. NH, Kenneth Colburn [17], 603-271-1380.
American Petroleum Industry MTBE resources [18].

SEJ Publication Types:

TipSheet [19]

Topics on the Beat:

Air [20]

Region:

National (U.S.) [21]

Visibility:

Public [22]