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A blue-ribbon panel has been formed by the U.S. EPA to review the public health issues posed by the use of MTBE and other oxygenates in gasoline. "While MTBE and other oxygenates in gasoline have improved air quality for millions of Americans, I am convening a blue-ribbon panel of experts to better understand public health concerns that have been raised by the discovery of MTBE in some water bodies," said EPA Administrator Carol Browner. |
The panel is charged with:
- examining the role of oxygenates in meeting the nation's goal of clean air,
- evaluating each product's efficiency in providing clean air benefits and the existence of alternatives,
- assessing the behavior of oxygenates in the environment,
- reviewing any known health effects, and
- comparing the cost of production and use, and each product's availability -- both at the present and in the future.
The panel will also look at the causes of groundwater and drinking water contamination from motor vehicle fuels.
To date, the panel has met twice, most recently March 1-2 in Boston, and the next meeting is scheduled for March 25 in Sacramento. A final report is expected later this summer, which will include specific recommendations on how to ensure public health protection and continued improvement in both air and water quality.
Members of the panel:
- Dr. Daniel Greenbaum, President of the Health Effects Institute, Cambridge, Mass. (Chairman)
- Mark Beuhler, Director of Water Quality, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
- Robert Campbell, President and Chief Executive Officer, Sun Company
- Dr. Patricia Ellis, Hydrologist, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
- Dr. Linda Greer, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council
- Jason Grumet, Executive Director, Northeast States Coordinated Air Use Management
- Dr. Anne Happel, Environmental Scientist, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
- Michael Kenny, Executive Officer, California Air Resources Board
- Dr. Carol Henry, Director, Health and Environmental Sciences, American Petroleum Institute
- Robert Perciasepe, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation
- Dr. Robert Sawyer, Mechanical Engineering Dept., University of California at Berkeley
- Debbie Starnes, Senior Vice President, Lyondell Chemical Company
- Todd Sneller, Executive Director, Nebraska Ethanol Board
- Ron White, Director, National Programs, American Lung Association
For more information about the Blue Ribbon Panel's activities and meetings, please contact the Panel's web site at www.epa.gov/orcdizux/consumer/fuels/oxypanel/blueribb.htm
