Senator Says He Could End MTBE Shielding

[Rose Siding]

CONCORD, N.H. May 6, 2005 — Sen. Judd Gregg said Friday he has the votes to stop Congress from shielding makers of the gasoline additive MTBE from lawsuits filed by New Hampshire and other states.
...
The Senate Budget Committee chairman said he has commitments from colleagues to block shielding the manufacturers from lawsuits. If necessary, Gregg said he would not hesitate to use a filibuster to kill the MTBE provision that was part of the energy bill passed by the House last month.
....
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas is a key backer of the MTBE lawsuit shield. He says the government essentially mandated MTBE use when it passed a 1990 law requiring gasoline to contain 2 percent oxygen, so Congress now should protect MTBE manufacturers against product liability lawsuits.
...
Two years ago, Gregg was one of six Republican senators who refused to cut off debate on that year's energy bill because of a similar MTBE provision.

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=734851&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312

[KittyWampus]

1. Shielding Any Corporation From Lawsuits Means Corporate Irresponsibility

would we change the law if our teenage kid was caught shop lifting or cheating in school?

or would we punish them and then work to correct their behavior?

[NMDemDist2]

2. my husband has a massive allergic reaction when the fuels switch

for the summer and suffers with asthma the whole season

that stuff is poison

[Conservativesux]

7. CA gas has Ethanol, not MTBE in it now. Does he still suffer?

I agree too.

That MTBE is very carcenogenic stuff.

[NMDemDist2]

10. not nearly as much with ethanol as the MBTE n/t

[KamaAina]

3. Gregg (R) said he would *filibuster*?!

Did I read that right?

If necessary, Gregg said he would not hesitate to use a filibuster to kill the MTBE provision

Why, I believe I did!

Reid needs to get next to this guy pronto and line up an (R) vote against "9-Lives" Frist's nucular option.

[struggle4progress]

11. Well, the official R line is that they'll only seek a parliamentary ..

.. ruling killing filibuster for judicial appointments, not for legislation.

So Gregg may just be setting out to muddy the waters for the great unwashed masses ..

[MaineDem]

4. This is good

I don't usually care for Judd's thinking but this is a good thing.

[cascadiance]

5. So Delay feels we should protect gasoline vendors

from lawsuits on something states like California "pushed" on them. I think he's got the "pushing" equation backwards! It was lobbyists from these very companies that pushed states like California to adopt MTBE to start with, because they knew it would give them a way to revamp their refineries and pass off the costs to the states and the consumers by blaming it on this "regulation". Now they want to be shielded from lawsuits because it *wasn't their idea*? This just fits for Delay I guess! BS hypocrite!!

It was the same sort of lobbying that got California to deregulate their electric utility plants that got them in the mess they had a few years ago, and let Dynegy and Enron start to clean house with price manipulations.

Tune into Bill Wattenberg at KGO around midnight PST tonight and on the weekends and I'm sure he'll give you an earful on that. He may not be a big fan of Democrats, but he can sure put the finger on those responsible for the MTBE messes. My guess is that he'll have a lot of nice things to say about Judd!

[Conservativesux]

6. CA mandated the use of MTBE after ARCO lobbied the idea in

...Sacramento as a way to get rid of thier useless petroluem byproducts.

Now we have ground water pollution all over the state, in fact the city of Santa Monica closed down half thier water wells thanks to MTBE.

ARCO is the one who should be sued, not some poor gas station owner who had to sell MTBE gasoline, by state law or else be fined/go to jail.

[cascadiance]

8. By Gasoline Vendors I think the article and I were referring to...

folks like Arco, not the gasoline vendors. The "shield"'s are there to protect makers of the MTBE additive, who worked in concert with the gasoline companies to lobby California to mandate it. You are right, it is folks like Arco that should be sued, I don't care how Delay rationalizes they shouldn't be.

[hecate77]

9. DeLay loves toxic chemicals.

He got into politics in the first place because the government wouldn't let him use any old poisons he wanted to in his bugman business. So, it is no surprise he is in favor of other toxic chemicals in the ground water. He doesn't have to drink them, after all.....

[sharman]

12. Beat me to it!

I love that excuse--'the government made me do it.' As if the government hasn't been a stenopad for Big Oil for decades.

[Straight Shooter]

13. Gregg vs. DeLay. Step back, bugman.

MTBE is poison. I don't run around doing willy-nilly, reaping huge profits, and then excusing my behavior and hiding behind DeLay's skirts if someone gets hurt. Why should corporations be any different?

[Robert Oak]

14. kick, God Bless Sen. Judd Gregg

now here is the place for bi-partisian support..

it's just unbelievable that MTBE manufacturers are getting protected
by congress!