NYT: Water-Cleanup Measure Stalls Energy Bill

Water-Cleanup Measure Stalls Energy Bill
By CARL HULSE
Published: July 23, 2005


WASHINGTON, July 22 - A Republican proposal that oil companies share the cost of an $11 billion plan to clean up water pollution in exchange for legal immunity drew sweeping criticism on Friday, dimming its prospects in a broad energy measure before Congress.

The industry balked at the $4 billion it was asked to contribute to eliminate the gasoline additive MTBE from groundwater.

Lawmakers and municipal officials argued that the proposal, which requires state and local governments to share the program's cost, lets the oil companies escape full responsibility for spills of the additive.

Under the plan proposed by Representative Joe L. Barton, Republican of Texas and chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, businesses in the gasoline distribution chain would pay $4 billion over 12 years for cleanup, the federal government would pay $4.5 billion and states just under $3 billion.

Local government officials said the money would have to be approved by Congress each year and was far below some estimates of what will be needed for a nationwide cleanup....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/23/politics/23energy.html