 U.S. Senator Diane Feinstein |
A coalition of California environmental and
agricultural organizations have written U.S. Senator from California, Diane Feinstein
urging her support for alternatives to MTBE -- particularly ethanol. Sen. Feinstein is the
author of legislation that would eliminate the oxygenate requirement in the state's clean
fuel program. The groups expressed concern that her legislation "would have adverse impacts on California's consumers and environmental quality and miss an important opportunity to encourage economic development in California." The letter notes that "it is important to maintain a distinction between MTBE and oxygenated -- 'cleaner burning' -- fuel." |
"Ethanol's air quality benefits are not fully credited in either California or federal reformulated gasoline regulations," the groups wrote. "We urge you to adjust your bill to change federal regulations to more accurately reflect ethanol's positive contribution to ozone reduction. Until this is done there will be no real option available in lieu of MTBE."
"The ability to sell locally produced ethanol in a California market would create new profit for California farmers and mature a homegrown ethanol refining industry. Ethanol production from these sources comes with the added bonus to further reduction in air pollution since many of the agriculture waste products -- such as rice straw -- are currently burned for disposal," wrote the California Farm Bureau, Californians Against Waste, California Public Interest Research Group, Clean Water Action, California Audubon Society and the California Environmental Research Group.
