While I doze off when trying to read through all the contradicting reports on MTBE and ethanol it does seem that the “Renewable Fuels” mandate was the basis for both those additives and not emissions. No news source seems interested in following the smog obscured political route that led to the current idiocy though. But then is there a source of non-partisan, objectively investigated and reported news anywhere to be found these days?
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I understand we run the catalyst reformers to produce more aromatics, cyclics, and branched components. (Don’t know the implication for cost, though.)
MTBE is made from oil and gas. It was considered a much better replacement for lead compounds. Not a ‘renewable’.
Its use in MD was outlawed because MTBE did not decompose over time and contaminated groundwater after leaking out of gas station tanks. I don’t use ground water, but a lot of people in higher density areas still do.
And speaking of water. Since there is no political constituency or corporate deep pockets to benefit from its use water injection as a means of reducing emissions is left off the table it appears
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1468087415599867?journalCode=jera
But should I be surprised?
In the southern part of my township, a lot of people relied on water from their own wells. Unfortunately, leaking tanks at a gas station ~1.5 miles away caused MTBE to turn-up in their well water, as a result of underground springs. The township wasn’t prepared for the huge cost of running water mains to this rural area, but they had no choice under the circumstances.
MTBE has been banned in NH for at least 15 years…and it’s still found in ground water today. It is nasty stuff that doesn’t like to go away. At least there’s a way to remove it from the water with the same equipment that removes radon.
It’s a real shame that CAFE standards which were the most viable next move toward reducing emissions were paved over when the automobile manufacturers decided it was more profitable to spend $billions on lobbying rather than on engineering. But the U.S. seems to be evolving into a Corpocracy.
A web search shows that MTBE was never outlawed in MD, but all the gasoline companies voluntarily switched to ethanol in 2006. I guess the gasoline companies wanted to minimize future law suit losses by showing good faith in ceasing use after some serious ground water contamination issues.