Seeking to address statewide MTBE water contamination, New Hampshire Governor Jeanne Shaheen recently issued an Executive Order requesting a waiver from the reformulated gasoline oxygenate requirement as a means to curtail MTBE use.

Four counties in southern New Hampshire are required to use reformulated gasoline. Several counties that opted-in to the reformulated gasoline program in the northern part of the state will be eligible to opt-out in 2004. Only 32 million gallons of ethanol would be needed to satisfy the state's oxygenate requirement in reformulated gasoline.