| State
Senate Republican Leader Louis C. DeLuca (R-Woodbury) announced
that the State Senate has passed a measure to guarantee the
phase out of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) from Connecticut’s
gasoline supplies by January 1st, 2004. The bill slightly
extends the deadline of an earlier MTBE ban in order for Connecticut
to join with the state of New York in purchasing ethanol,
an MTBE alternative, once their ban goes into effect. MTBE
is a gasoline additive that has contaminated hundreds of ground
wells in Connecticut and has proven carcinogenic in laboratory
animals.
“I am glad
to report that with the passage of this bill, the state’s
gasoline supplies will be free of MTBE by January,”
said Senator DeLuca. “Unfortunately, this will not
help the hundreds of Connecticut residents who have been
receiving bottled water and charcoal filters from the Department
of Environmental Protection due to groundwater contamination,
but at least we’ll finally have this dangerous chemical
removed from our gasoline. This MTBE ban has been a long,
uphill battle, but hopefully this is it, once and for all.”
The passage of
this bill follows months of debate regarding Connecticut’s
ability to meet the phase-out deadline originally passed
three years ago. Senator DeLuca worked with New York State
Senator Carl Mercellino to combat misinformation being spread
through the Connecticut legislature that New York State
was considering repealing their MTBE ban. As the leading
proponent of the original MTBE ban, Senator DeLuca stressed
the importance of keeping to a realistic deadline in ridding
the state of a sometimes under-publicized health hazard.
“MTBE
contamination is a very real environmental problem, and
it is imperative that we act as a state to prevent further
pollution of our groundwater,” said Senator DeLuca.
“We have already spent hundreds of thousands of dollars
in our remediation efforts, and I hope the DEP recognizes
the importance of meeting this new deadline. From a standpoint
of economic and environmental common sense - Connecticut
cannot afford MTBE anymore.” |
