Contact:	Bob Redding (202) 543-1440
For Release:	Immediate News Bulletin 99.99 December 20, 1999

CARB Approves MTBE-free Gasoline

Washington, D.C., Dec.20, 1999 -- The California Air Resources Board (CARB) approved gasoline standards eliminating the additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) as well as making California's clean gasoline even cleaner.

At a recent hearing to consider the standards, CARB heard testimony from more than 50 groups, with representatives from the ethanol industry, the automotive industry and environmentalists. After consideration of the testimony, regulators voted to eliminate MTBE, reduce sulfur, and grant more flexibility to a standard that would otherwise hinder use of ethanol.

The automotive industry testified in favor of tougher standards, particularly lower sulfur levels. Environmentalists wanted to reduce the pressure at which gasoline evaporates, which would limit ethanol use.

The proposal reflects the hope that California will get a waiver from the federal oxygen requirement for reformulated gasoline. Waiving the standard would make it easier to ban MTBE because it would give refiners more flexibility for their gasoline formulas. The ethanol industry spoke out against the waiver, arguing that opting out of the oxygen requirement would increase air pollution. With the oxygen standards in place, ethanol, which adds oxygen to gasoline, would have a guaranteed market.

California is not opposed to using ethanol. At the governor's request, the board assessed the additive's potential impact on the environment and found it benign. The new standards are set to take effect Jan. 1, 2003. The banning of MTBE on this date is in line with an executive order signed by Gov. Gray Davis in March 1999. Average sulfur levels will also drop from a current level of 40 parts per million to 20 PPM, while Benzene levels will drop from 1 percent to 0.8 percent.

The Automotive Service Association is the largest not-for-profit trade association of its kind, serving more than 13,000 businesses and approximately 70,000 professionals from all segments of the automotive service industry. ASA's headquarters is in Bedford, Texas.

ASA advances professionalism and excellence in the automotive repair industry through education, representation and member services. Additional information about ASA, including past news releases, is available on the ASA Web Site on the Internet (http://www.asashop.org).