California Gov. Gray Davis recently announced a one-year delay on banning the pollutant MTBE from the state's gasoline supplies, explaining that he wants to avoid price hikes and shortages as the state moves to use ethanol as a substitute. He also blamed the delay on the Bush Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its denial last summer of California's request for a waiver of the federal mandate that an oxygenate - such as MTBE or ethanol - must be added to the state's gasoline.
Davis said that the state's gasoline will be MTBE-free by January 2004. He also said the delay will allow a more orderly transition and protect California drivers from paying as much as $3 a gallon at the pump.