This is the essence of hobby current events. Jim forbes was on the Arizona
council. I don't know if he burned out of that too.
Bob ADler
"JUNKYARD BLUES" -- April 1999
It’s been a busy two months, with two trips to California and
participation in the great "United We Drive" legislative conference in
Arizona, sponsored by the Arizona Automobile Hobbyist Council. We are
looking forward to the 2000 conference.
CAPP supporters have informed us of proposed "Public Safety Hazard"
and "Inoperable Vehicle" legislation in Virginia (SB-1326) and Missouri
(SB-84). In Tempe, Arizona, proposed zoning laws to remove vehicles from
private property are similar to the proposed legislation. In Florida,
newspaper articles discuss proposing legislation to clear the air by
buying back old cars, built before current pollution controls. I wonder
if this is the "controlled scrappage" discussed by special interest
groups? In Minnesota, a county junkyard ordinance would only allow three
unlicensed, inoperable vehicles on their property (mostly in rural
areas). More than three vehicles qualifies your property as a
"junkyard." The county is using state aerial photographs from 1991.
Sheriff’s department deputies are allowed to drive onto property or
fields to investigate criminal offenses. An informational meeting was
called by the township, in response to public outcry over recent
enforcement. 500 citizens attended, requesting that the ordinance be
changed. Ah, the power of the people!
California State Senator Mountjoy will soon be introducing
legislation to prevent "Government from snaring old cars with the remote
sensor," as SB-42 does not protect old cars from remote sensing. My July
1998 Hemmings letter, "Mis-Information," discussed all cars being
subject to remote sensing. SB-42 did not exempt any cars unless,
according to California’s Legislative Council: "The only exceptions …
are vehicles operating under a valid repair cost waiver or an economic
hardship extension." If antique cars can be caught up in a loophole in
California by remote sensing, are other states doing the same thing?
"MTBE On The Move"
Nationwide, many newspapers have been reporting on MTBE
contamination. The 13th drinking water well was closed in South Lake
Tahoe. Indications are that MTBE has been found in water as it leaves
the air stripper. The question being asked is: Could it also be in the
air?
MTBE contamination has also reached a 100-acre irrigation reservoir
in California’s Alpine County where officials are concerned. "One of our
biggest concerns is, what does this do to our beef cattle - and the hay
produced with this in the ground," said the chair of the Board of
Supervisors. "What happens then? That’s a big concern of our ranchers."
On February 4, North Carolina citizens filed a class-action lawsuit
against the oil companies, seeking MTBE cleanup. The lawsuit seeks the
oil companies to pay for testing of more than 800,000 private wells for
MTBE, and that the companies pay for cleanup of water and soil
contamination across the state.
The New Hampshire Sierra Club is lobbying hard to block MTBE from the
state’s gasoline. The drinking water information from the state’s
Department of Environmental Services adds fuel to the club’s fight.
"This state data demonstrates… MTBE is a growing threat to our water
supplies, and calls for immediate action by our elected officials to
protect our health," said John Meinhold, Sierra Club spokesman.
New Jersey is proposing a new lower sulfur, low Reid vapor pressure
gasoline, but reports say it will still contain MTBE.
Of interest is a press release announcing the election of former
California Governor Wilson’s wife, Gayle, to the ARCO Board of
Directors.
Why the big controversy over MTBE? Answer: Its physical properties.
According to various sources, MTBE is much more soluble in water.
Benzene and the other compounds adhere to the soil while MTBE travels
with the groundwater. Before MTBE was in gasoline, wells within a few
hundred feet of a gasoline leak were still usually safe. Contaminant
plumes rarely extended farther than a few hundred feet. In Tahoe, MTBE
plumes have 1,500 feet of movement or more.
MTBE breaks down much slower than other contaminants. It has a
half-life of 26 years, which means it will exist in groundwater for more
than 100 years.
MTBE cleanup is costly. The legacy of MTBE is hundreds of millions of
dollars a year in treatment costs. The cleanup of MTBE already in the
water costs between $340 million and $1.4 billion a year.
Already in 1999, four bills have been introduced in the California
Legislature, one in Maine and New York, two in New Hampshire and four in
Connecticut calling for a ban of the additive.
California Senator Feinstein has asked Congress to drop California
from a federal order requiring the use of gasoline additives (MTBE),
saying the chemicals are "unnecessary" and pollute the state’s drinking
water.
More next month…
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