CONCORD, N.H. -- Moves by oil companies to begin increasing ethanol-blended gasoline supplies in New England means many New Hampshire gas stations will move away from methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE)-laced fuel well before a statewide ban kicks in next year, environmental officials said Tuesday, according to the Associated Press.
New Hampshire will ban MTBE, an additive meant to cut air pollution but which contaminates drinking water and is a possible link to cancer, on Jan. 1, 2007, the same day bans begin in Maine and Vermont. But corporate-owned [image-nocss] gas stations in New Hampshire could begin selling gasoline containing 10% ethanol as early as May or June, Lynn Woodard, a state oil compliance supervisor, said Tuesday at a news briefing.
The state bans, new federal renewable energy standards and changes to rules governing gasoline additives are influencing suppliers to make an early switch, said Michael Fitzgerald, an air resources supervisor for the state Department of Environmental Services. Also, vendors selling ethanol blends are eligible for federal tax credits, according to AP. None of these are particular mandates in terms of what the industry has to do, but the stars do sort of align for the use of ethanol, Fitzgerald said.
Corn-based ethanol does not pose the same pollution risk to water supplies, though it may emit more volatile organic compounds, which contribute to ozone, AP said. Officials do not expect ethanol-blended gasoline to change the price at the pump significantly, pointing out that did not happen when Connecticut and New York switched in 2004.
Woodard is working with gas station owners to prepare their tanks and equipment to receive ethanol. The biggest change is the risk of waterwhich draws ethanol from gasolineso owners need to make sure storage tanks are dry and leak-free, he said. The switch to ethanol should not pose a problem to most drivers, he said, though owners of vintage cars and machinery should check with manufacturers before fueling up.
After federal clean-air rules required Strafford, Merrimack, Rockingham and Hillsborough counties to cut pollution in the 1990s, reports of MTBE traces in drinking water quickly multiplied. Today, about 16% of New Hampshire's public water supplies contain traces of MTBE, with the highest rate, 30%, in Strafford County, the report said.
In 2003, the state sued MTBE producers seeking money for cleanup; that case remains unresolved.
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