The Senate recently passed by an 85-12 margin an Energy Policy Act that mandates the use of 8 billion gallons of ethanol in the U.S. fuel supply by 2012, provides tax incentives for alternative fuel vehicles, market-based solutions to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and research into developing hydrogen cars.
Unlike the House’s version of the bill passed in April, the Senate does not provide a “safe harbor” for the makers of the gasoline additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), which has been determined to cause groundwater pollution.
