Political Quotes

“by now, most everyone in the Nation has heard of the problems caused by MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether). I am very pleased that S. 950, the Federal Reformulated Fuels Act of 2002, reported by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, has largely been incorporated into the Senate energy bill, S. 517, passed by the Senate on April 25, 2002. I would like to thank all those who worked with me to negotiate this comprehensive solution to the MTBE problem. The legislative package provides Federal funding for cleanup of existing contamination and for prevention of future releases of MTBE, while preserving the environment and protecting the country from gasoline price spikes and fuel shortages. The problem that initially motivated the committee and the Senate to act on S. 950 and this issue in general is the existing MTBE contamination of water resources. Leaking underground storage tanks (USTs) are the major source of MTBE releases. Section 832 of this legislation authorizes $200 million from the Leaking Underground Storage Tank (LUST) Trust Fund for States to use for MTBE remediation.”