Oxygenated Fuels Association Applauds New Law
2 October 1998
Oxygenated Fuels Association Applauds New Law to Help Clean-Up Water Contamination From Leaking Fuel Tanks
SAN FRANCISCO--Oct. 1, 1998--
MTBE Producers Credit California Legislature, Governor
for Reaching Important Clean-up Accord
The nation's producers of the clean-fuel additive MTBE today heralded a new California law that will provide additional funding for the cleanup of drinking water sources contaminated by leaking underground fuel-storage tanks.
Regulators have identified leaking fuel tanks as the leading cause of gasoline contamination of the environment. MTBE is one of hundreds of compounds that make up gasoline.
The measure, Senate Bill 2198 (Sher, D-Palo Alto), was signed into law late Wednesday by Governor Pete Wilson. Effective next year, it will dedicate $20 million over three years for research and cleanup of public drinking water sources contaminated by cleaner-burning gasoline leaking from storage tanks. Oxygenates, and MTBE in particular, are the main additive in cleaner-burning gasoline and are responsible for significantly reducing California's air pollution.
"This new law clearly recognizes the critical connection between leaking fuel tanks and contaminated drinking water," said Terry Wigglesworth, executive director for the Oxygenated Fuels Association (OFA). "We have long maintained that MTBE has no business in California's groundwater. Furthermore, we are committed to helping implement known ways to both effectively clean up existing contamination and prevent future leaks. This new law will go a long way toward achieving those goals."
OFA is a strong supporter of efforts to ensure the integrity of the gasoline distribution and storage system. Under current law, all fuel storage tanks must be replaced with new, more protective double-hulled tanks by late December, 1998. Those owners who fail to install these state-of-the-art tanks by the end of the year will be barred from receiving new shipments of fuel. The OFA believes this action is the appropriate response to prevent fuel from entering the groundwater supply.
"MTBE is the single most effective ingredient in gasoline when it comes to providing Californians with cleaner air," Wigglesworth said. "We need to find ways to assure it is properly handled and kept out of our drinking water. That way Californians can continue to enjoy the health benefits of clean air without compromising the water they drink."
MTBE - methyl tertiary butyl ether - is an oxygenate used in fuels to reduce vehicle exhaust emissions while maintaining high performance.
The Oxygenated Fuels Association is an international Trade Association, incorporated in 1983, to advance the use of, and knowledge about, oxygenated fuel additives that improve the combustion performance of gasoline, thereby reducing automobile pollution. For more information about oxygenates, please visit our web site at www.cleanfuels.net.
