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Feinstein Asks EPA to Waive Rule on Fuel The agency may drop some gasoline additive regulations in New Hampshire; the same is sought for California. By Elizabeth Douglass, Times Staff Writer Sen. Dianne Feinstein on Wednesday called for the Environmental Protection Agency to waive some federal gasoline rules for California after the EPA proposed dropping certain pollution restrictions for gas sold in New Hampshire. The EPA last week proposed that fuel producers in New Hampshire could make reformulated gasoline without adding in an "oxygenate," such as ethanol or MTBE, as required under the federal Clean Air Act.

<p>Efforts to pass the energy bill that fell two votes short of clearing the Senate in November will resume this month. Filled with subsidies and tax breaks for special interests and pork-barrel spending (search), the overall bill is hard for limited government-types like me to swallow.</p>

Just an excerpt here from a great column about MTBE and politics... "MTBE is as partisan an issue as one gets. Republicans have tended to close ranks against handing more legitimacy to trial-lawyer looting of industry. Democrats will line up to claim another victory of environmental vigilance if MTBE producers are brought down. And one of the leading trial lawyers in MTBE cases -- with more than 50 cases involving the additive pending -- is Fred Baron, of Baron & Budd, Dallas, TX, who is currently the National Finance Chairman of Sen. John Edwards' presidential campaign." The rest is here:...

Consumers are bracing to pay more at the pumps when a ban on a controversial gas additive takes effect Thursday.Local gas suppliers are replacing MTBE, an additive designed to cut air pollution that was found to contaminate drinking water, with other additives such as ethanol, a corn-based fuel. The Capital Region's gas retailers say that the switch in additives is largely complete, but they're warning consumers to expect price hikes.No one knows exactly what to expect. But prices at Stewart's gas stations are going up about 5 cents per gallon immediately, with short-lived increases of 10 cents more if the...

ELECTION 2004Kerry blaming Bushfor Kerry's own billBlasts president over carcinogenic fuel additive he helped promote Posted: December 10, 200310:56 a.m. Eastern By Diana Lynne© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com In a classic case of the political pot calling the kettle black, Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry blasted the Bush administration over failing to be accountable for the disastrous fallout of the use of a fuel additive deemed carcinogenic, without mentioning he was behind legislation that mandated its widespread use. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., during televised debate of Democratic presidential candidates this week. (Courtesy: WMUR-TV) Trailing in the polls and eager to make friends in New...

Saturday, November 29, 2003 Energy Measure Tested Domenici By Michael ColemanJournal Washington Bureau    WASHINGTON— A few hours after Sen. Pete Domenici watched his energy bill crash and burn on the Senate floor last week, he slipped out of the Capitol and took his wife, Nancy, to dinner.     They went to a quiet restaurant near their Capitol Hill home and discussed what had gone wrong.     They had a lot to talk about.     Just four days earlier, on Nov. 18, the House had passed the national energy policy legislation overwhelmingly and sent it over to the Senate. It appeared...

WASHINGTON - After nearly three months of negotiations and dealmaking, Congress is giving up on energy legislation for this year, falling two Senate votes short of sending a bill to President Bush (news - web sites). Republican leaders vowed to return to the $31 billion measure early next year. The Senate abandoned the legislation late Monday after it became clear a dispute over a gasoline additive, MTBE, was not going to be resolved and efforts to find two additional Senate votes needed to overcome a filibuster by opponents would not bear fruit. There was not enough time before the Senate's...

WASHINGTON - 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. Another GOP source emphasized that House Republican leaders so far have refused to give in on the MTBE liability protection. This source expressed doubt that a solution can be reached over the next three...

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attempts to derail the energy bill over a dispute involving a gasoline additive suffered a setback when the Senate's top Democrat said he would support limiting debate on the legislation. Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said Monday he was ready to support the broad energy legislation and will oppose attempts block it over the issue of MTBE, a gasoline additive found to contaminate drinking water supplies. The bill would double ethanol use, an important issue in Daschle's state where he faces re-election next year. A Daschle spokesman, Dan Pfeiffer, said the senator will vote for...

<p>Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- The House of Representatives passed legislation that includes $23 billion in tax breaks and regulatory changes to boost U.S. energy production, based on President George W. Bush's proposals.</p> <p>Bush and congressional Republicans say the bill, passed 246- 180, will reduce U.S. reliance on oil from the Middle East and curb chances of another power blackout like that in August. It also will boost the economy, they said.</p>

<p>Republicans called the bill farsighted and a key to improving America's energy security by expanding energy choices. But Democrats said the tax breaks amounted to giveaways to oil, gas and coal industries that don't need the help. They also said the legislation fails to focus on ways to conserve energy and develop renewable fuels.</p>

<p>We'll say this for the energy bill that is about to come to a final vote in Congress: It's certainly comprehensive. It may not have all that much to do with energy any more, but it does give something to every last elected Representative.</p>

NEWS 1920 L Street, NW • Suite 200 • Washington, DC 20036 202.785.0266 • Fax 202.785.0261 W W W . A T R . O R G FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Paul Prososki 30 October 2003 202-785-0266 Gas Tax Hike in New Jersey? It’s Time For Candidates To Come Clean With Voters Rumors claim New Jersey gas tax will increase once legislators have no accountability to their constituents. WASHINGTON – With less than one week before an election, rumors are circulating a deal has been cut to increase the gas tax during the lame duck session of the state legislature....

<p>The news at the federal level is that an energy bill expected to be passed with virtually no discussion, let alone dissension, is now tied up in knots over the issue of - are you ready - proposed tax subsidies for corn-based ethanol fuel (or as we like to put it, corn squeezings from Archer Daniels Midland, the nation's leading corporate welfare queen). If there's a chance this inequitable subsidy can be defeated, Californians will apparently owe a debt to Republican Rep. Bill Thomas of Bakersfield. That story is still developing in Washington.</p>

<p>Municipalities are rushing to file lawsuits against manufacturers of a gasoline additive that they say has polluted their water supplies.</p> <p>The hurry is intended to beat a provision in the impending energy bill that would ban such legal challenges.</p> <p>But the lawsuits simply aren't fair.</p>

<p>WASHINGTON (AP) - A gasoline additive once lauded for cleaning up the air is being phased out because it's also contaminating drinking water. Now its producers want Congress to protect them against what could be billions of dollars in cleanup costs.</p>

<p>The Sacramento County District Attorney's Office and 10 local water utilities are suing the nation's major gasoline producers to pay for the cleanup of MTBE-polluted groundwater.</p> <p>The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Sacramento Superior Court, is believed to be the first of its kind to claim damages for threatening drinking water wells, rather than actually contaminating them.</p>

<p>SACRAMENTO - California energy officials no longer believe replacing MTBE with ethanol will spike gasoline prices at the pump.</p> <p>"You won't see $4-a-gallon gasoline because of ethanol," said James Boyd, a California Energy Commission member. "You might see it as a result of other things, like the unrest in Venezuela or the situation in the Middle East, but not ethanol."</p>

<p>SAN RAMON, Calif, (Reuters) - ChevronTexaco Corp. (CVX.N) said on Wednesday it will stop using the groundwater polluting chemical MTBE in California gasoline, several months ahead of a state ban.</p> <p>Chevron will eliminate the use of methyl tertiary butyl ether, or MTBE, this month in southern California, and extend the ban statewide by May.</p>

<p>Californians could pay $2 a gallon -- or higher -- for gasoline early in the new year when the state makes the transition from gas additive MTBE to ethanol, some energy experts say.</p> <p>Analysts, fuel-market watchers and others see a price spike ahead as the state makes the conversion, mandated because of MTBE's potential to leak from underground tanks and pollute groundwater.</p>