http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19990219_xex_california_s.shtmlTitle: California senators push for ban of MTBE
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| FRIDAY FEBRUARY 19 1999 |
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 California senators push for ban of MTBE Gas additive forced closure of water supply systems By Stephan Archer © 1999 WorldNetDaily.com SACRAMENTO, Calif -- State senators plan to protest the use of MTBE and to persuade Gov. Gray Davis to ban the gasoline additive that has caused the closure of dozens of drinking water supply systems throughout the state. Methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) was first introduced into Californians' gas tanks in the early and mid-1990s in an effort to lower car emissions and reduce air pollution. But since its introduction in the state, more than 10,000 wells, lakes and reservoirs have been polluted with the substance. Sen. Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City, along with his colleagues, Sen. Dick Mountjoy, R-Arcadia, Sen. Don Perata, D-East Bay, and others will be meeting on the south steps of the state Capitol next Tuesday to rally for an immediate ban of MTBE. All three senators are currently carrying legislation to make MTBE use unlawful in California. Leslie's legislation, Senate Bill 272, says, in part, it would "make it a misdemeanor for any person to sell gasoline containing MTBE." It also makes the following statements about MTBE:
Leslie's bill also states that studies have shown that no significant air quality benefit has been found in the use of MTBE. "A recent University of California study concluded that MTBE provides no significant benefit to air quality yet has the potential to cause great harm to our state's water supply," said Leslie. "Common sense dictates that we take immediate and necessary measures to protect the quality of our state's drinking water and the health of Californians. MTBE must go." The study being referred to is one the University of California was directed to conduct after former California Gov. Pete Wilson signed into law Mountjoy's Senate Bill 521 Oct. 8, 1997. This bill enacted the MTBE Public Health and Environmental Protection Act of 1997. Leslie said that next week's rally will also coincide with a public hearing at the Sacramento Convention Center where the California Environmental Protection Agency will hear testimony pertaining to MTBE. The state's governor must decide whether or not to prohibit MTBE use in California within 10 days of the public hearing. Currently, the governor has no official position on the issue. It is Leslie's hope that the rally and the public hearing will encourage the governor to ban, or phase out, MTBE. If he doesn't, Leslie and others plan to move forward with their bills to ban the substance. "Kick MTBE out of California, and do it now!" exclaimed Leslie. Besides California, other states -- including Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire and New York -- have proposed legislation that would ban MTBE. In Alaska and part of Montana, MTBE has already been banned due to motorists' complaints of health problems including sore throats, nausea and trouble with breathing. North Carolina also banned MTBE, but the state's action was due to the additive's classification as a probable carcinogen in people. Besides being detected in the California water supply, MTBE has also been found in 137 water supplies across New Hampshire, dozens of wells in Connecticut and various other water supplies across the U.S. In Texas, for example, some state and local officials are concerned that MTBE pollution in their state's water supply may force them to shut down some of the water wells in their state.
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