[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 112 (Friday, August 3, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1559-E1560]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              SECURING AMERICA'S FUTURE ENERGY ACT OF 2001

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                               speech of

                            HON. JIM NUSSLE

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 1, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill. (H.R. 4) to 
     enhance energy conservation, research and development and to 
     provide for security and diversity in the energy supply for 
     the American people, and for other purposes.

  Mr. NUSSLE. Mr. Chairman, as the House considers H.R. 4, the Saving 
America's Future Energy Act, I rise to express my concern about an 
amendment offered by my colleagues from California to exempt their 
state from the oxygenate requirement of the Clean Air Act.
  In 1990, Congress approved the Clean Air Act Amendments to require 
that gasoline sold in certain areas of the country, including 
California, contain at least 2 percent oxygen, ``Reformulated 
Gasoline,'' which can be derived from adding an oxygenate to gasoline. 
The goal of the oxygenate requirement is to lower pollution in areas of 
the country that have the highest levels of air pollution.
  There are two main substances that are used to meet the oxygenate 
requirement: Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) and ethanol, a fuel 
derived from corn. Following the 1990 law, the Chicago and Milwaukee 
reformulated gasoline areas chose to use ethanol and, to my knowledge, 
have not reported any problems with groundwater contamination, but have 
reported significant improvements in their air quality. Meanwhile, many 
of the reformulated gasoline areas in California, the Northeast, and 
several other areas of the country, chose to use MTBE. These areas are 
now reporting that about 80 percent of their drinking water contains 
MTBE, which does not biodegrade and which the Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) has classified as a potential human carcinogen.
  For the last few years, California and other parts of the country 
have sought to solve the problem of MTBE groundwater contamination by 
removing the oxygenate requirement altogether. In fact, the State of 
California has petitioned both the Clinton administration and the Bush 
administration to grant a waiver to exempt the entire State from the 
oxygenate requirement. On June 12, the President opted to deny this 
request citing that the EPA has determined, time and again, that the 
addition of oxygen to gasoline improves air quality by improving fuel 
combustion and displacing more toxic gasoline components.
  Mr. Chairman, I believe the only prudent way to address this problem 
correctly is to replace MTBE in the United States with ethanol. Indeed, 
the transition for ethanol to reach California drivers is expected to 
be neither long nor difficult. It is my understanding that California 
will need 600 million gallons of ethanol annually to replace MTBE. 
Ethanol producers currently have the capacity to supply 2 billion 
gallons per year. This year alone, ethanol producers have already begun 
the process of shipping 150 million gallons to the State, cost-
effectively and with no transportation impediments. In fact, letters 
delivered to California on

[[Page E1560]]

behalf of railroads, barge operators, oceangoing ships, and California 
gasoline terminals assure that ample shipping and storage capacity 
exists today to move ethanol from the Midwest to California markets.
  I agree with my colleagues that MTBE is a danger to public health. 
That is why earlier this year I introduced legislation that protects 
the environment and public safety by totally and immediately banning 
the use of MTBE as a fuel additive across the United States. The Clean 
Air Act has done a good job in curbing dangerous emissions, and a key 
part of this success has been the oxygenate requirement. For the sake 
of keeping the air clean in California and across the United States, we 
cannot allow this requirement to be scaled back or waived. Therefore, I 
urge my colleagues to vote against the Cox amendment.

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