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> MTBE Ban Proposed
Clean Water:
MTBE Ban Proposed
Our Position: support
Bill Number: HB983
Sponsor: Rep. Earl Ehrhart, Judiciary Chair Wendell Willard
Legislative Session: 2006
HB 983 prohibits anyone from the “manufacture, blend, or store for distribution in this state any gasoline containing MTBE.” When tetraethyl lead was removed from gasoline it became necessary to find other additives which could improve fuel combustion to meet clean air standards, and vehicle engine performance requirements. One of these was an additive called MTBE, but it was soon learned that the stuff was highly prone to leaking from tanks and pipelines, and that it was a chronic groundwater pollutant, highly resistant to remediative treatment once it was in the water.
Prohibitions on MTBE are being sought in legislatures all over the country as a result of its toxicity, and because the US Congress has tried to make the manufacturers and distributors of the stuff free from liability for cleaning it up. The sensible project is to get rid if it, and HB 983 does just that.
Status
The attempt by Rep. Jill Chambers to ban the use of gasoline additives that improve combustion, but also present major threats to groundwater and air quality, passed the House unanimously on Tuesday, Feb 21, but may have run into a bit of trouble along its further way. The largest problem facing the MTBE (and other chemicals) ban now is the fact that it was assigned to the Senate Agriculture Committee. Chairman Sen. John Bulloch is not known to be friendly to the banning effort which is supported by the odd bedfellows of environmental groups, including Sierra Club, and Big Oil. The jobbers, the local businesses that distribute oil products, are not so enthusiastic about the bans, nor is at least one manufacturer of MTBE.
Action Needed
Sierrans need to contact members of the Senate Agriculture Committee and urge that they pass HB 983 and remove dangerous and unneeded pollutants from the environment.
Background
Rep. Jill Chambers of Chamblee is rightfully concerned about the public health and safety aspects of the large petroleum tank “farms” that are located in her district. These facilities are where the pipelines that bring gasoline and other fuels through Georgia are tapped for supplying local markets, and where these products are stored and dispensed. MTBE is methyl tertiary-butyl ether, a substance used to raise the amount of oxygen in gasoline so its combustion produces less air pollution. Ethanol, which can be produced from a variety of farm products, including pine trees, is a substitute for adding oxygen to gasoline.Big Oil, the people who would be prohibited from the use of MTBE in Georgia, is not opposing this bill, which is sponsored by the Chairman of the Rules Committee, Rep. Earl Ehrhart, and by pro-environmental Judiciary Chair Wendall Willard. The Oil firms say they want consistency among the states, and other states are moving toward the ban, so Georgia’s joining the parade is something they would endorse. Another aspect of the choice of petroleum additives is strong recent interest in GA for the production of ethanol. GA Tech scientists have proposed that GA pine timber can be profitably converted to ethanol at prices lower than the similar conversion of Midwestern corn. At least one GA wood ethanol plant is in the planning stage, and the day may not be distant when Georgians can pull into filling stations for a tank full of home grown fuel.
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