EPA420-B-07-013 

August 2007 

State Actions Banning MTBE (Statewide)

The following states have either a partial or complete ban on MTBE (methyl tertiary-butyl 

ether). This list is updated when new information becomes available. For more information on 

MTBE, please visit the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) Web site at 

www.epa.gov/mtbe. 

State 

(EPA 

Region)

Phaseout date

(in chronological 

order)

Complete or partial ban?

Applies to 

other 

oxygenates?

Date of 

adoption

IA (7) 7/1/00 Partial: no more than trace 

amounts (0.5% by vol.) MTBE 

in motor vehicle fuel. 

MTBE only 5/11/00 

Replaced 

previous limit 

of 2% (vol.) 

MN (5) 7/2/00 (partial)

7/2/05 (complete)

Partial/then complete: no more 

than 1/3 of 1% oxygenate as of 

7/2/00; complete ban as of 

7/2/05. 

MTBE, 

ETBE1, and 

TAME2

Early 2000 

NE (7) 7/13/00 Partial: no more than 1% (vol.) 

MTBE in any petroleum

product. 

MTBE only 4/11/00 

SD (8) 7/1/01 Partial: no more than trace 

amounts (less than 0.5% vol.) 

resulting from commingling 

during storage or transfer. 

MTBE only 2/28/01 

Replaced 

previous limit 

of 2% (vol.) 

CO (8) 4/30/02 Complete ban by 4/30/02. MTBE only 5/23/00 

 1

 ETBE stands for Ethyl tertiary butyl ether

2

 TAME stands for Tertiary amyl methyl ether

 1
 2

State 

(EPA 

Region)

Phaseout date

(in chronological 

order)

Complete or partial ban?

Applies to 

other 

oxygenates?

Date of 

adoption

CA (9) Originally12/31/

02; delayed to 

12/31/03 

Complete ban by 12/31/02, but 

latest Exec. Order requires 

CARB to implement by 7/31/02 

a one-year delay in ban. On 

7/25/02, CARB delayed the ban 

by 1 year. 

MTBE only 10/9/99 

(Orig. E.O. 

issued 3/25/99; 

latest E.O. 

issued 3/15/02)

MI (5) 6/1/03 Complete ban by 6/1/03; can be 

extended if determined by 

6/1/02 that phaseout date is not 

achievable. 

MTBE only 6/26/00 

CT (1) 1/1/04 Complete ban by 1/1/04, 

planned in conjunction with 

NESCAUM regional fuels task 

force. 

MTBE only 6/1/00 (Orig. 

phaseout date 

10/1/03; 

extended to 

1/1/04 on 

6/18/03) 

NY (2) 1/1/04 Complete ban as of 1/1/04. MTBE only 5/24/00 

WA (10) 1/1/04 Partial: may not be intentionally 

added to fuel, or knowingly 

mixed in gasoline above 0.6% 

(vol.) 

MTBE only 5/10/01 

KS (7) 7/1/04 Partial: may not sell or deliver 

any motor vehicle fuel 

containing more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE 

MTBE only 4/19/01 

IL (5) 7/24/04 Partial: may not use, sell or 

manufacture MTBE as a fuel 

additive, but may sell motor 

fuel containing trace amounts of 

MTBE (0.5% or less by 

volume) 

MTBE only 7/24/01 

(original ban) 

revised 6/24/02 

to allow trace 

amounts 

IN (5) 7/24/04 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE in gasoline 

MTBE only 3/14/02 

WI (5) 8/1/04 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE in gasoline 

MTBE only 8/11/03 
 3

State 

(EPA 

Region)

Phaseout date

(in chronological 

order)

Complete or partial ban?

Applies to 

other 

oxygenates?

Date of 

adoption

AZ (9) 1/1/05 Partial: no more than 0.3% 

(vol.) MTBE in gasoline 

MTBE only 5/11/04 

OH (5) 7/1/05 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE in motor vehicle 

fuels 

MTBE only 5/29/02 

MO (7) 7/31/05 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE in gasoline sold or 

stored 

MTBE only 7/11/02 

KY (4) 1/1/06 Partial: no more than trace 

amounts of MTBE in fuel after 

this date 

MTBE only 4/23/02 

MT (8) 1/1/06 Partial: no more than trace 

amounts of MTBE in fuel after 

this date 

MTBE only 4/25/05 

ME (1) 1/1/07 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE in gasoline sold. 

MTBE only 4/14/04 

NH (1) 1/1/07 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) in gasoline sold or stored 

MTBE,other 

gasoline 

ethers, or 

tertiary butyl 

alcohol (TBA) 

5/10/05 

VT (1) 1/1/07 complete MTBE 5/23/05 
 4

State 

(EPA 

Region)

Phaseout date

(in chronological 

order)

Complete or partial ban?

Applies to 

other 

oxygenates?

Date of 

adoption

RI (1) 1/1/07 partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE and other 

oxygenates in gasoline 

MTBE & 

“other 

oxygenatesmethanol, 

Isopropanol, 

n–Propanol, 

N–butonal, 

sec-butanol, 

tert-butanol, 

tert-pentalol 

(tertamylalcohol), 

Ethyl tert 

butyl ether 

(ETBE), 

disapropyl 

ether (DIPE), 

tert butyl 

alcohol 

(TBA), Isobutanol, 

tertamylmethy

lene ether 

(TAME) 

7/6/05 

NC (4) 1/1/08 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE in gasoline 

MTBE only 6/21/05 

NJ (2) 1/1/09 Partial: no more than 0.5% 

(vol.) MTBE in gasoline 

MTBE only 8/18/05