Harkin Wants to Ban MTBE

May 16, 2001

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) has introduced legislation to ban the gasoline additive MTBE, tighten air quality standards in the Clean Air Act's reformulated gasoline program, and maintain and enhance opportunities for renewable ethanol and biodiesel. "Ethanol is a proven alternative to MTBE," Harkin said. "Years ago, Big Oil rejected ethanol and put lead in gasoline, then they replaced that with highly polluting toxic compounds. Now we have the MTBE crisis. We have to hold the petroleum companies to standards that clean up our gasoline and air, protect human health, and promote renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel."

Harkin's bill would phase out and then ban MTBE from fuels and fuel additives within three years; maintain the current oxygen content requirement for reformulated gasoline; tighten limitations on polluting aromatic compounds and olefins in gasoline, strengthening air quality standards on emissions of toxic compounds and ensuring ethanol receives fair credit for the air quality benefits from reducing carbon monoxide emissions.

He also would include "anti-backsliding" provisions to prevent petroleum companies from backing away from clean gasoline requirements and the current air quality and health benefits of the reformulated gasoline program and its oxygen content requirement. Rules against "dumping" also would be strengthened to guard against oil companies taking dirty, polluting compounds out of gasoline in reformulated gasoline areas and then dumping these toxic and polluting compounds into the gasoline produced for other regions that have less stringent gasoline cleanliness standards.

Petroleum companies would have to use a minimum percentage of renewable fuels in gasoline and diesel fuel. It would not be a mandate on consumers, but a requirement that oil companies include a minimum percentage of renewable fuel in their total sales. The renewable content requirement in Harkin's legislation would increase ethanol use in gasoline well above the level that would be used even if ethanol were to replace all MTBE now used in gasoline. Under the bill as much as 10 billion gallons of ethanol and biodiesel would be used by 2011.

"My bill will do more than just phase out and ban MTBE nationwide," said Harkin. "It will hold oil companies to sound clean gasoline standards for air quality and human health -- so they don't put back in all that toxic junk again. We must have a sustainable energy policy in this country so that America's families aren't taken hostage at the pump every summer. Until we hold the oil companies responsible this will never happen."