Ok, well that's enough for me to start trying a bit of fact checking. Maybe see what's under the rug.
Google: tell me "mtbe methanex". Yep, I seem to remember a bit about that. Greedy sob's. I'm going to have a hard time buying that stock.
rense.com
WASHINGTON, DC (ENS) - An international tribunal has begun considering a claim that the United States must pay a foreign investor almost $1 billion because of a California measure to prevent water contamination.
The Canadian challenger, Methanex Corporation, has argued that a plan to remove the toxic chemical MTBE (methyl tertiary butyl ether) from California's gasoline violates the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Methanex is a major producer of methanol, one key component of MTBE. Methanex claims that under NAFTA, it is owed $970 million in profits it will lose if California bans MTBE.
...
"Methanex and other investors are claiming that NAFTA requires governments to pay polluters not to pollute," said David Schorr, director of World Wildlife Fund's Sustainable Commerce Program. "Something is seriously wrong with the way the NAFTA investment chapter is working."
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MTBE is capable of contaminating water resources faster than any other gasoline component. (University of California Davis study, November 1998)
As the No. 1 world producer of methanol (the main ingredient in MTBE), Methanex Corp. relies heavily on MTBE sales. The company launched an unprecedented $1 billion lawsuit against the U.S. government and has filed a complaint with the NAFTA environmental commission charging that the federal and state governments failed to properly enforce underground gasoline storage laws that resulted in MTBE leaks and spills. (Oxy-Fuel News, 11/1/99)
Kip Lipper, staff director for the California Senate’s Environmental Quality Committee, argues that Methanex’s recent lawsuits are nothing more than a business attempting to protect the market for a product. Lipper argues that MTBE manufacturers long ago should have been aware of their product’s potential for contaminating water supplies. (The Wall Street Journal, 11/3/99)
ilcorn.org
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What will they use instead?
Probably another oxygen-containing compound such as ethanol. This is not so toxic, though it will probably increase the cost of the gasoline.
Is MTBE used in the UK?
No, instead of MTBE we have toxic compounds like benzene (left) and toluene (right), with Octane ratings of around 106, added to our petrol !
chm.bris.ac.uk |
