. /.WORLD TRADE
ORGANIZATIONG/TBT/Notif.00/191
12 April 2000
(00-1466)
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade
NOTIFICATION
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6.
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   UNITED STATES
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):           
2. Agency responsible:   Environmental Protection Agency (10)
Agency or authority designated to handle comments regarding the notification shall be
indicated if different from above:           
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [    ], 5.6.2 [    ], 5.7.1 [    ], other:           
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether (MTBE)
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Methyl Tertiary Butyl
Ether (MTBE); Advance Notice of Intent to Initiate Rulemaking Under the Toxic Substances
Control Act to Eliminate or Limit the Use of MTBE as a Fuel Additive in Gasoline
(17 pages, English)
6. Description of content:   Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether (MTBE) is a chemical compound that
is used as a fuel additive in gasoline.  Refi ners have primarily added MTBE to gasoline to
meet the Clean Air Act (CAA) requirement that areas with severe problems in attaining the
National Ambient Air Quality Standard ( NAAQS) for ozone use Reformulated Gasoline
(RFG) containing 2% oxygen by weight.  Many States have al so voluntarily chosen to use
RFG as a means of addressing marginal, mode rate, or serious ozone non-attainment, and some
refiners use MTBE to boost the octane of gasoline.  In addition to the RFG program, the CAA
also required the establishment of a Winter time Oxygenated Fuel program.  Under this
program, gasoline must contain 2.7% oxygen by we ight during the wintertime in areas that are
not in attainment for the NAAQS for carbon monoxide.  In some cases this requirement is met
through the use of MTBE.  While the use of MTBE  as a fuel additive in gasoline has helped to
reduce harmful air emissions, it has also caused widespread and serious contamination of the
nation’s drinking water supplies.  Unlike othe r components of gasoline, MTBE dissolves and
spread readily in the groundwater underlying a sp ill site, resists biodegradation, and is difficult
and costly to remove from groundwater.  At higher levels, it may also pose a risk to human
health.   The Agency is providing an advance notice of its intent to initiate a rulemaking
pursuant to section 6 of the Toxic Substances Control Act to eliminate or limit the use of
MTBE as a fuel additive.  The Agency is seeking public comment on a number of aspects of
this anticipated regulatory action, including wh ether the Agency should take action to address
any fuel additives other than MTBE.
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:
To address the threat to the nation’s drinking water resources from contamination by MTBE, a
widely used additive in gasoline.G/TBT/Notif.00/191
Page 2
8. Relevant documents:   65 FR 16094, 24 March 2000; 40 CFR Pa rt 755.  Will appear in the
Federal Register when adopted.
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined
Proposed date of entry into force:
10. Final date for comments:   8 May 2000
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [ X] or address, e-mail and telefax
number of the other body:   The text is also available on the Internet at:
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/index.html