Governors' Ethanol Coalition

Dear President Clinton and Congressional Leaders:

On behalf of the Governors' Ethanol Coalition (GEC), we are submitting to you a set of principles which reaffirms the Governors' full support of expanding the use of ethanol fuel and restates our position on MTBE, the Phase II Reformulated Gasoline Program, credits for carbon monoxide emissions reduction and maintaining the oxygenate requirements in the Clean Air Act.

The following is a list of principles which the Governors' Ethanol Coalition supports and will promote:

1. A nationwide phase out of the use of MTBE as a fuel additive within the next three years.
2. A requirement that fuel dispensing systems will be labeled if MTBE is sold through the dispensers.
3. Support for research and remediation of groundwater contamination from MTBE.
4. The continuation of the 2% oxygen standard established in the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments.
5. Prevention of backsliding in toxic emissions reductions realized so far in the reformulated gasoline program authorized under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendment.
6. Promulgation of regulations providing at least a .5 pound credit for reduction in carbon monoxide emissions realized from a 10% blend of ethanol in the Phase II Reformulated Gasoline Program.
7. Encouragement for the production and use of renewable fuels as an oxygenate, an octane enhancer and as a replacement fuel for gasoline.

We want to commend you for your strong support for the elimination of MTBE in gasoline and for your commitment to expand the market for renewable fuels such as ethanol. The recent price increase of gasoline reaffirms the need for developing and expanding the role of ethanol in our fuels market. We look forward to working with you on these most important issues and thank you for your consideration of our views.