GOP May Remove MTBE Provision From Bill

[Noordam]

AP NEWS

GOP May Remove MTBE Provision From Bill
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: November 23, 2003


Filed at 6:44 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hoping to rescue energy legislation stalled in the Senate, Republicans were discussing elimination of a controversial provision to give legal protection to the makers of MTBE, a gasoline additive found to contaminate drinking water, officials said.

These sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Senate and House officials, as well as the Bush administration, have discussed the suggestion, but no decisions have been made.

..more at article.

[BurntIceCubeTray]

1. Since it was our side (enviros and others) that pushed for MTBE I hope

that will not be used against us and presented as "our" fault. We had good intentions when we demanded its use and should be praised for the altruistic efforts and not draged into court for endless finger pointing.

[papau]

2. Our side pushed for less polution- corn did that- but oil folks wanted

MTBE

"our" fault is that we could not fight the "low cost oil company option" that the GOP pushed.

[Karenina]

15. Here's an "oldie but goodie"

from 60 Minutes.

http://www.pei.org/FRD/60_Minutes_Transcript.htm

[Kolesar]

3. the oil industry chose MTBE to meet federal air pollution requirements

from the NY Times article: "Critics of the additive have argued that the oil industry chose MTBE to meet federal air pollution requirements, although they knew as far back as the mid-1980s that the oxygenate would be difficult to control and clean up if it got into water supplies."

[rumguy]

4. Read this newcomer

MTBE is a gasonline additive that has poisoned groundwells throughout California.

MTBE was to be phased out according to a plan passed by the CA legislature.

The Canadian company that produced MTBE "sued" CA using the NAFTA provisions involving investor protections.

The company, Methanex, I think is what it's called, claimed that CA had "appropriated" its market share, thereby causing them to lose money, and that the voters of CA therefore had to pay them millions.

That, buddy, is called corporate capitalism gone awry.

So don't you DARE say that "our" side caused this problem and is dragging people into courts.

YOU GOT THAT?????

[BurntIceCubeTray]

5. Excuse me for providing facts

MTBE was forced on the petrol industry by the EPA and supported by many environmental groups. Read my post again and understand that I am asking that we not be blamed for something we did not forsee. We all make mistakes and should not be penalized for them all.

[rumguy]

6. read post #3

chose not forced...

[w4rma]

8. Your facts are wrong, BurntIceCubeTray.

Why would environmentalists force the use of an anti-envirionmental chemcial? Answer, they wouldn't.

The oil corps used this chemical as a cost-saving (for them) loophole to get around poorly worded environmental regs.

[BurntIceCubeTray]

9. They didn't know at the time that it was bad

Everyone signed off on it thinking they were doing the right thing.

The oil companies bucked it due to the added cost but accepted MTBE due to its simplicity to synthesize and incorporate into the blend. It was a win-win and nobody ever considered the pitfalls. All I'm saying here is that we don't become the scapegoat for the coming onslaught of blame.

[rumguy]

11. The oil companies were in favor of the oxygenated fuel

component of the 1990 Clean Air Act. They stood to profit as they always seem too.

A top ARCO executive admitted under oath, “The EPA did not initiate reformulated gasoline....” He clarified that “the oil industry... brought this forward as an alternative to what the EPA had initially proposed.”

The cheapest alternative...that's what it's all about.

[rumguy]

12. From the Environmental Working Group

"The paper trail, dating at least to 1980, tells a different story: How the oil companies took an unwanted byproduct of gasoline refining that was expensive to dispose of and created a profitable market for what they, until then, had been required to handle as toxic waste. Beginning in the mid-1980s, well in advance of the 1992 federal mandate to reformulate gasoline to meet the standards of the Clean Air Act, the petrochemical industry promoted MTBE to U.S. and state regulators as the additive of choice – only much later admitting it doesn’t do much to reduce air pollution after all."

[bvar22]

7. RIGHT!!! The EPA and environmental groups...

...held down the Oil Cos. and FORCED them to add a poison to gasoline! The environmentalists wackos probably own the factory that makes MTBE.

WRONG!!!

The EPA did support legislation that would mandate cleaner gasoline from the refiners....NOT POISON Gasoline!


**** The MTBE provision is a RED HERRING!!! Congress critters will PUFF UP for the cameras and home voters and pretend that they demanded the removal of the MTBE provision, thereby certifying their environmental credentials while the rest of this obscene creation (The entire Energy Bill) flys below the radar.

[Johnyawl]

10. This should send Delay into a tizzy!

That was his little baby to protect a Houston corp.

[mrdmk]

13. Here are some facts

There are some interesting problems here. I wrote to Senators Feinnstein and Boxer about this energy bill. One issue I made a point of is the MTBE in the drinking water here in Orange County, California. There has been a real stink about this problem because our DA Tony Rackauckas took Arco to court and received eight million dollars. The problem is that is not enough money to cover the clean up. Orange County Water District is now going to sue to get the actual cost of the clean up, one hundred million dollars (well maybe).

The DA Tony Rackauckas story

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/03/16/cover-moxley.php

Orange County Water District suit

http://www.ocwd.com/_html/_pr/_pr03/pr03_0507_mtbe.htm

This is an extra MTBE story

http://www.ocweekly.com/ink/03/41/news.php


The truth is there are all kinds of hanky panky with this energy bill, not just the billions of dollars to clean up pollution around this country. The powers that be (Tom Delay) throw into our face there will be no new energy jobs without this bill. Also the other kinds of air and ground pollutions that will be added because of this bill. This bill has no long-term solutions to our energy needs, only long term cost.

One thing that needs to be stress is the petroleum industry wanted to use MTBE. There were also forces within the petroleum industry that warned against using MTBE but, did so anyway.

It looks like I will be writing my Senators again.

:smoke:

[newyawker99]

16. Hi mrdmk!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[pasadenaboy]

14. now we add trial lawyers

to every other special interest getting rich of this bill. this bill is a piece of crap, but its so laden with freebies for special interests, no one wants to oppose it.

What garbage.