Ten years before it's banned? It should be banned immediately because of the potential ramifications. Our nation's health is at risk, and they propose we have 10 more years of groundwater pollution. What could this government be thinking?
Not 100% sure, but if I recall there is a contract we signed with Canada to provide the MTBE. 2015 may be when that contract expires.
Waiting till then, contract or not, is ludicrous. It should have been banned in 2000. I also remember KSFO's Melanie Morgan was instrumental in reporting and updating the public about the disasterous effects of MTBE.
NAFTA. A ban of MTBE would be considered a barrier to trade and therefore be actionable by a WTO tribunal. Also, because our government is bent on merging Mexico, Canada and the USA into a single economic and political bloc, they don't want to mess with the MTBE producers in Canada. It might affect their ability to complete the merger.
FYI for now they are calling it the North American Community-- a mini-EU that will eventually expand to encompass the whole Western Hemisphere via CAFTA then the FTAA. There was a recent article posted about security and the North American Community--look it up if you're interested. Its an eye opener and very bad news for the future of the United States as a sovereign country.