Australia to re-introduce Opal fuel

Australias federal government will have a second go at rolling out Opal fuel in Alice Springs after the first attempt was derailed by a scare campaign last year. Last December, federal Health Minister Tony Abbott admitted that there had been problems in delivering Opal to communities struggling with petrol abuse, particularly in and around the Alice Springs area. Abbott and Indigenous Affairs Minister Mal Brough promised that Opal would fully replace standard unleaded petrol across the city by the end of February. Alice Springs Town Council Mayor Fran Kilgariff said there was definitely less opposition to Opal since BP had released data showing the fuel did not damage engines. (February 19, 2007)