Democrat seeks to remove MTBE provision from House energy bill
Washington (Platts)--19Apr2005
US Representative Lois Capps plans to offer an amendment to address the controversial MTBE-liability provision of the energy bill slated to be debated on the House of Representatives' floor this week. The California Democrat said in a statement she would ask the House Rules Committee Tuesday to allow a vote on her amendment. The amendment aims to eliminate from the underlying energy bill the "safe harbor" protections that would shield MTBE manufacturers from defective product lawsuits. The inclusion of a similar MTBE liability provision in last year's negotiated House-Senate energy bill led to the death of the bill after senators whose states have been affected by MTBE groundwater contamination threatened to filibuster the bill. The amendment also would speed up the national phase out of the gasoline additive. The current energy bill allows MTBE to be used until 2014; the amendment would require a ban of MTBE nationwide in four years. Capps' amendment also would remove provisions from the underlying bill that would give MTBE makers about $1.8-bil in assistance to shift to other businesses in advance of the ban. This story was originally published in Platts Global Alert http://www.globalalert.platts.com
Copyright © 2005 - Platts
Please visit: www.platts.com
Their coverage of energy matters is extensive!!.