chemical makers to produce new data, regulators would not make tolerance decisions based on that information for at least two years, well after the deadlines in the FQPA, EPA staff said. A call for data will only slow down protections aimed at kids, public health groups said. "A gen-
eral principle of toxicology, it seems to me, doesn't need to be reexamined for every pesticide," added Herbert Needleman, professor of psychiatry and pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh, whose work on lead's effect on the brain led to national regulations. Although the FQPA has raised
exciting science and regulatory issues, it has put a strain on agency resources, staff members said. "Delaney is looking pretty good right now," added EPA's Housenger. "lust when you think you understand the rules, they go and change them." —CATHERINE M. COONEY
Maine seeks to drop MTBE from its clean fuels program Maine is set to become the first state in the United States to opt out of EPA's reformulated gasoline program due to groundwater contamination by methyl-fert-butyl ether (MTBE), a controversial oxygenate that helps gasoline burn cleaner. The action spotlights an emerging trend among states that share the thinking of environmental officials in Maine on MTBE, which because it promotes more complete combustion of gasoline, it reduces carbon monoxide and ozone pollution. Consumer complaints about acute health problems from inhalation of MTBE fumes and concerns about groundwater contamination have led environmental groups and lawmakers in California and Maine to call on EPA to phase out the additive in favor of allowing states to set their own fuel performance standards. Also, there is uncertainty about the health effects of MTBE, which EPA has labeled a possible human carcinogen. The extent of groundwater contamination in all 50 stcites is 3J.so unclccir As 3. rc~ sult 3. widespread research effort is under way to determine whether the clean air benefits of MTBE outweigh its risks MTBE became controversial in 1992 when EPA mandated the winter use of the cleaner burning oxygenate in 39 metropolitan areas to control carbon monoxide. In 1995, EPA required the year-round sale of reformulated gas in about a dozen metropolitan areas to control ozone emissions. In 1997, because of ongoing concern in Maine about MTBE, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) established Maine's right to opt out of EPA's fuel program. Maine is
the only state to have exercised this option. This month, Maine officials expect to send EPA an alternative fuel strategy for meeting air quality goals, according to DEP spokesperson Deb Garrett. The strategy is based on replacing MTBE-oxygenated gasoline with either a low-volatility or a lowsulfur gasoline, she said. The move to seek a replace-
ment for MTBE in Maine was prompted by a state sampling program conducted last summer that found trace levels of MTBE in 15% of Maine's drinking water supplies. Concentrations above the state maximum of 38 parts per billion were found in 1% of the wells. Many people in the rural state get their drinking water from private wells, said Garrett.
Ship study to assess emission impacts The International Maritime Organization (IMO) voted last November to spearhead a study of ship stack emissions in the wake of evidence that ships may account for a large percentage of global emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOJ. Although it is unlikely that the study will lead to any pollutioncurbing regulation, the investigation could place knowledge of vessel emissions on the firm, quantitative basis needed for framing discussions on the environmental impacts of this transportation mode. The investigation will collect C02 data for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which requested that IMO conduct the global study. A range of organic and other inorganic contaminants emitted from ship stacks also will be characterized. Determining the shipping industry's C02 impact is complicated by the fact that environmentally motivated improvements, such as double-hulls for oil tankers, can result in reduced C02 efficiency because they decrease the amount of cargo the vessels can contain, Ostergaard explained. The study will attempt to clarify such sticky issues, he said. Although Brian Wood-Thomas, senior advisor for EPA's Office of International Environmental Policy, considers shipping a significant source of global pollution, both he and John Ostergaard, IMO's senior advisor on marine pollution, point out that it "is recognized as one of the most environmentally efficient methods of transporting cargo," in terms of its emissions intensity—emissions per ton of cargo moved per mile. According to Ostergaard between 85-90% of all commodities are transported via ships, and the diesel engines that power the vast majority of modern vessels have become much more efficient over the years. For these reasons, the shipping industry is also in favor of the study, said Kathy Metcalf, director of maritime affairs for Chamber of Shipping of America, an industry association. The industry is confident that the study will show the environmental value of shipping, she explained. "All modes of transportation need to do this kind of study to find out where they stand in terms of their overall environmental emissions inventory and efficiency," Metcalf said. This will provide crucial data if environmental taxation aimed at reducing emissions from different transportation sectors is ever implemented, she noted. —KELLYN S. BETTS
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Maine's action points to what may happen in other states, even though Maine is more rural than many, said John Elston, who administers New Jersey's Office of Air Quality Management. "MTBE is going to become a bigger issue over time," as further results become available on the extent of groundwater contamination and on toxicity, he said. New Jersey currently is negotiating with EPA to reduce the MTBE level in its gasoline and to design its own
standards for the environmental performance of gasoline. In Texas, officials also are considering a plan that would set fuel performance standards and then allow producers to develop fuels to meet them. Last November, the New England Governors Conference commissioned a regional consulting group, the Northeast States for Coordinated Air Use Management, to study alternatives to MTBE in reducing air pollution in the region.
But despite EPA's provisional approval on Maine's decision to replace MTBE, the state still faces practical barriers to opting out. "The fuels that we need to use are available," Garrett said, but at a price higher than the current reformulated fuels. "We represent a small market, so it may be difficult to strike a deal with the refiners. We are hoping that some of the other states in the region may take a similar approach to ours." —REBECCA RENNER
North Carolina considers controls to protect contaminated waters More than one-third of surface sediments in North Carolina's sounds are highly contaminated with metals, pesticides, and hydrocarbons, concludes a new study from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. The study, which is part of EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) and NOAA's Status and Trends Program, is the mostcomprehensive database ever generated on the quality of North Carolina's estuaries. The study highlights a pollution problem common among eastern states, said Joel Baker, associate professor at the University of Maryland's Chesapeake Biological Laboratory. The results "are an indicator that more needs to be done about protecting water quality in the state," added Don Reuter, spokesperson for the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). The study analyzed surface sediments from 165 randomly selected sites for 41 contaminants including mercury, DDT, and PCBs. Other variables such as dissolved oxygen and presence of sediment-dwelling organisms also were measured, said Courtney Hackney, biology professor at the University of North Carolina and lead author of the report. Hackney and co-workers found that 19-36% of the sediment had more than one contaminant known to show toxicity to bottom-dwelling animals such as worms, clams, and crusta-
ceans. In 13% of the estuarine sediments, contaminant levels were so high that few or no organisms could be found. This raises questions, Hackney said, about effects of sediment contamination on food webs that are the basis of an important fishery. Even in areas where contamination is not high enough to kill organisms, it may lead to changes in community structure that favor undesirable outcomes such as harmful algal blooms Although the study was not designed to pinpoint the sources of contamination, Hackney said he suspects most of it comes from agricultural and urban runoff and air deposition. North Carolina's sounds are not well flushed by the tides, so "they trap nutrients," he explained. Hackney's study results have been incorporated into EMAP, a program designed to monitor and develop indicators for the ecolog-
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The level of contamination in North Carolina falls into line with that found in other nonurban estuaries up and down the east coast, said Baker. "The important message from this study is that it shows [a waterway] doesn't have to be adjacent to an urban area to have contaminated sediments," Baker said. Still, the extent of sediment contamination took the North Carolina officials by surprise, said Bill Holman, DENR assistant secretary. One reason the findings might be unexpected is that states have had their hands full dealing with contaminated sediments in urban areas, Baker suggested. "We've asked the North Carolina Environmental Management Commission to look at the findings and see what additional measures need to be taken to protect estuaries " Holman said.—JANET PELLEY
