N ovember 2 0 0 0 • V olume 2 • N umber 6 - American Water ...

MTBE: The Water-Polluting Genie EPA Knowingly Let Out of the Bottle . . . . cont’d.
line blended with MTBE. This example holds true for at
least the 31 states where the chemical has been discovered
in ground water.
SOLUTION TO A NON-PROBLEM CREATES MORE
The irony of MTBE polluting ground water is that neither
it or any other oxygenate, including ethanol, produces
any significant improvement in air quality, according
to a study by the National Research Council.
“Motor vehicle emissions of chemicals that form
ozone have decreased in recent years,” said NRC committee
chairman William Chiamides, Regents Professor of
Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute
of Technology (at the time of the report’s release). “But
that’s largely because of better emissions control equipment
and components of reformulated gasoline – other
than oxygen additives – that improve air quality. Moreover,
it is not possible to attribute any significant portion
of past reductions in smog to the use of [oxygenates].”
It was this improvement in engines that led State
Representative Larry Julian, author of Michigan's MTBE
ban, to thank the auto industry and auto workers for
making the elimination of MTBE possible.
In spite of the compelling reasons for ending the use
of MTBE, doing so without removing the oxygenate mandate
entirely could cause even higher gasoline prices and
greater nationwide shortages of supply than those seen
in the Midwest this summer. Without MTBE, ethanol
would be the sole remaining major oxygenate. It currently
cannot be produced in sufficient quantity for nationwide
use. It cannot be transported through pipelines, as
previously noted. And, it is more difficult to blend as
demonstrated when EPA ordered new standards for
ethanol blends in the Midwest last summer.
In view of the National Research Council’s findings, it
would seem prudent to phase out the use of oxygenates
altogether, though this carries potential political problems
for some politicians due to the pressure of the farm
lobby. However, only Congress can change the federal
mandate. As Julian said when the Michigan ban passed,
perhaps the state’s measures will prompt the Congress to
act.
AUTHOR LINK
E-MAIL
Tom Randall
Winningreen LLC
3712 N Broadway - PMB 279
Chicago, IL 60613
(773) 549-7850
Fax: (773) 549-3198 or (231) 869-8800
E-Mail: trandall@winningreen.com
Tom Randall is a senior partner with Winningreen LLC,
an environmental policy consulting firm in Chicago, a
freelance writer for such diverse publications as the
Chicago Sun Times, Miami Herald, and Chicago Life magazine
(a supplement to the Sunday New York Times). He
has served as managing editor of Environment & Climate
News and has testified before the U.S. Congress, as well
as state legislatures, and is a frequent guest on talk
radio.
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4 • Water Resources IMPACT November • 2000