WESTERVILLE, Ohio, March 18, 2002 -- Controversial fuel additive methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) will be the focus of the third national conference on MTBE sponsored by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA).
The event, "MTBE: Assessment, Remediation, and Public Policy," will be held June 6-7, 2002, at the Doubletree Hotel in Orange, California. The conference is cosponsored by the American Petroleum Institute, Lyondell Chemical Company, and the U.S. Geological Survey.
US EPA's J. Michael Davis, the top government expert on human health and MTBE, will be among the notable MTBE experts speaking at the conference. Ground water scientists, engineers, regulators, and professionals in related fields will attend the conference on MTBE to hear presentations on successfully remediating ground water contaminated by MTBE.
Speakers also will address public policy issues related to MTBE, an oxygenate compound gasoline refiners add to fuel to comply with the federal Clean Air Act, which requires the addition of oxygenates in parts of the country with the worst ozone air pollution problems.
The conference keynote speaker will be John S. Zogorski, chief of Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOC) National Synthesis at the U.S. Geological Survey. He will speak on "MTBE Versus Other VOCs in Ambient Ground Water and Community Drinking Water: National Perspectives on Occurrence, Spatial Patterns, Implications, and Information Needs." More than 40 additional speakers from throughout the country will make the event the most comprehensive conference to be held on MTBE to date.
Conference sessions will include:
"MTBE and Public Policy," with moderators Donna Drogos of Alameda County, California, and Curt Stanley, Equilon Enterprises.
"MTBE Remediation Technologies," with moderator Rey Rodriguez, H2O R2 Consulting Engineers Inc., and Anthony Brown, Komex H2O Science
"Understanding MTBE Properties," with moderator Graham H. Fogg, University of California, Davis
"Remediation Technologies," with moderator Ellen E. Moyer of Tighe & Bond Inc.
The event also will feature a concurrent MTBE remediation workshop, which will review the physical, chemical, and biodegradation characteristics of the oxygenate. Through examination of case studies, the workshop will explore the selection and execution of current and emerging technologies for the remediation of gasoline components, including residual and dissolved MTBE. The workshop is provided by Lyondell Chemical Company and Tighe & Bond Inc.
For more information or to register, contact the NGWA Customer Service Center at (800) 551-7379, or visit http://www.ngwa.org/education/mtbebro.html.
National Ground Water Association members include more than 16,000 U.S. and international ground water professionals-contractors, equipment manufacturers and suppliers, and ground water scientists and engineers. NGWA members are committed to this basic understanding: when you are a ground water professional, it's more than just water. NGWA provides members, government, and the general public with the scientific knowledge and economic guidance necessary to responsibly develop, protect, and manage the world's ground water resources.
