by an 11-6 vote, a us Senate panel has approved a bill banning the addition in petrol of the fuel additive called mtbe (for methyl tertiary butyl ether), which is carcinogenic and pollutes groundwater. mtbe , added to petrol after the early 1980s, instead of lead for cleaner burning of fuel, will be phased out by 2004 and renewable fuels like ethanol will be used instead.

Carol Browner, administrator of the us Environment Protection Authority, welcomed the action, saying us citizens deserve both clean air and clean water, and never one at the expense of the other, reminding that mtbe causes cancer.

Hard lobbying by the industries linked to ethanol and corn growers is said to be an important reason for the bill going through. Whether the bill will be made into a law immediately is not clear as yet. One reason for the doubt about the bill becoming a law is the strong opposition from the mtbe industry.