The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has conditionally granted Maine Governor Angus King's request to opt-out of the Reformulated Gasoline program due to concerns regarding the presence of MTBE in wells and public water supplies.
The state's seven southern counties have been using MTBE-blended reformulated gasoline since the program began in 1995.
MTBE is Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether which, in its pure form, is a toxic, highly flammable, colorless liquid formed by reacting methanol with isobutylene. It is mixed with gasoline to boost octane levels. It has been approved for use in gasoline by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at levels of up to 15 percent.
Maine must demonstrate that a replacement fuel program or other measure will be implemented to provide equivalent volatile organic compound reductions as the current reformulated gasoline program. The ethanol industry has urged the Governor to consider ethanol as a replacement for MTBE. "Ethanol, a domestically produced and renewable oxygenate, can also be used by refiners to meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act, and can do so without the negative environmental impacts you cite regarding MTBE," said Eric Vaughn, President of the Renewable Fuels Association in a letter to Governor King. Vaughn referred to Alaska, which switched to an ethanol program following mounting public opposition to the use of MTBE. "Ethanol replaced MTBE entirely and the air quality benefits of the program were maintained. This could happen for Maine as well," said the letter.
Maine could stimulate rural economic growth by renewing a potato waste to ethanol industry in the state. Today, approximately 15 million gallons of potato-based ethanol is produced in Idaho.
