EPA IN METHANEX CLAIM AGAINST CALIFORNIA, DEFENDS UST RULES

U.S. EPA is aggressively defending California's underground storage tank (UST) program in response to a claim by Methanex Corp., filed with the environmental commission of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). EPA is urging the commission to reject the claim of the Canadian methanol manufacturer, which argues that shoddy enforcement of UST regulations has resulted in the contamination of water supplies by the methanol-based fuel additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE). EPA contends USTs will leak despite the best...