Wilson signs bill to research MTBE cleanup research

Friday, Oct. 2, 1998 | 4:45 a.m.

SB2198 allows $5 million a year for three years for research and cleanup of California public drinking water sources contaminated by cleaner-burning gasoline leaking from storage tanks.

"One thing we're very happy about is this bill includes the cost of investigation for reimbursement," said STPUD spokeswoman Dawn Forsythe. "The district will be eligible for reimbursement for the hundreds of thousands of dollars of investigation we've had to perform."

Wilson earlier vetoed AB1642, which had the district calling him "blind, deaf and dumb on South Tahoe's water contamination crisis." The measure would have reduced dependence on MTBE - methyl tertiary butyl ether - in California.

MTBE is an oxygenate used in fuels to reduce vehicle emissions while maintaining high levels of performance. It is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as a possible cancer-causing agent.