Seven years ago methyl tertiary butyl ether was found, when mixed with gaso

Citing environmental health concerns, Gov. Gray Davis unveiled a plan to phase out methyl tertiary butyl ether from the state's gasoline supply, to culminate in a complete ban on the additive by Dec. 31, 2002(Nations Health). Researchers are now frantically trying to find alternatives to MTBE, so they can comply with the Clean Air Act. A possible alternative is a blend of alkalytes and aromatics. “Aromatics are slightly less expensive than ethanol, but pose risks of increased toxic emissions. Alkalytes, though clean burning, are low-octane and would require expensive capital investments”(Hess). Recent studies have shown that a streambed microbe can dispose of the molecules that make up methyl tertiary butyl ether. The researchers took sediment from nearby streambeds that had been contaminated with MTBE to their lab for testing. They added radioactively labeled MTBE to the samples and traced the breakdown of the compounds into carbon dioxide. “Over

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