Governors
Ethanol Coalition
January 20, 2000
Graham Messick
60
Minutes
524 West 57th Street
New York, NY
10019
Dear Mr. Messick:
On behalf of the 23 members of the Governors.
Ethanol Coalition, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you for
producing a story aired on January 16, 2000, on the impacts of MTBE in
motor fuel and groundwater. For many years the Coalition has invited
informed discussion on gasoline and oxygenates and their impact on the
environment. We believe that only with informed discussion can we arrive
at fuel programs that meet the needs of the nation.
Your report clearly demonstrated the need to
remove MTBE from the nation. s motor fuel supply. The Coalition believes
that a transition from MTBE to other oxygenates is both feasible and
practical. This transition maintains the air quality benefits of
oxygenated fuel while simultaneously eliminating the water quality
problems of MTBE, a win-win solution. The oxygenated fuels program, using
ethanol as the oxygenate, has been hailed an unqualified success in
Alaska, Maine, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon and numerous other
states. In fact, because of the air quality benefits of ethanol in
gasoline, the American Lung Association of Chicago recently released a
report praising the ethanol reformulated gasoline program.
Your story suggested that the oxygen
requirement of reformulated gasoline should be eliminated because the
ethanol industry could not meet the demand currently satisfied by MTBE.
However, current U.S. ethanol capacity is more than double the amount
needed to fulfil California. s oxygenate demand. In fact, given a market,
ethanol can be produced using a variety of feedstocks in not only the
Midwest but also many other states, including California. In a recent
study, the California Energy Commission concluded that as an alternative
to MTBE-blended fuels, ethanol blends can be available at prices lower
than non-oxygenated gasoline.
Thank you for your story on MTBE and its air
and water quality impacts. In the future, please do not hesitate to
contact us for information about ethanol. s cost effectiveness,
transportation or environmental impacts.
Sincerely,
Thomas J. Vilsack,
Chair
Governor of Iowa
Mike Johanns, Vice
Chair
Governor of Nebraska
|