Re: The Politics of MBTE

[SMILLER@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Harvey, I hate to contradict anything that sounds so authoritative, but
when you said (in part):

>Date: Wed, 05 Aug 1998 11:05:49 -0700
>From: "Chao, Harvey" <harvey.chao@domain.elided>
>Subject: Re: Ethanol in '95 540ia (long)
>
>The problem here is that the California State Air Resources Board
>(CARB, cleaner air cops run amuck) have managed to MANDATE the
>use of MBTE.  It gets political in that ARCO is a major refiner in
>California, coincidentally, a major provider of MBTE, and that the "feed
>stock" used to make this stuff used to be a refinery "waste product". 
and...
>To compound the problem, the law on "cleaner burning gasoline"
>specifies what the formula shall be, not that the gas shall be of a
>formulation that burns X% cleaner (which would then allow alternative
>methods of achieving the desired end result - 
>Harvey

...you didn't exactly explain why Unocal (also a major refiner in CA) is
able to sell gasoline with ethanol instead of MBTE, which they advertise
and proudly proclaim on signs in their gas stations here in CA.  Are they
blatently breaking the law?  Did they "pay off" the right politicians to get
an exemption?   Are they lying?  How does that work?

Just wondered...

Scott Miller
Golden Gate Chapter
BMW CCA #44977

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