News
Renewable fuels an issue in B.C. and Ontario
The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association reports that initiatives in B.C. and Ontario will create jobs, solidify demand for various crops and set new standards for renewable fuels across Canada.
April 2, 2008 By Canadian Renewable Fuels Association
April 1, 2008
Ottawa, ON- – Gordon Quaiattini, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CRFA) today applauded Premier Gordon Campbell and the government of British Columbia for their forward-looking leadership in moving towards a cleaner renewable fuel future with BILL 16 – THE 2008 GREENHOUSE GAS REDUCTION (RENEWABLE AND LOW CARBON FUEL REQUIREMENTS) ACT.
"With this bill British Columbia will begin to grow beyond oil. They are leading the nation with the first five percent biodiesel target in Canada," said Mr. Quaiattini. "This bill will help create a made-in-BC renewable fuels industry that is good for the environment and good for drivers. With oil at more than $100 a barrel, the case for biofuels and this bill is abundantly clear."
Bill C-16 will implement a five per cent average renewable fuel standard for diesel by 2010. It will also support the federal Renewable Fuel Standard with a BC specific ethanol content of gasoline to five per cent by 2010. As the Canadian biofuels industry grows, British Columbia stands to become a leading producer of next-generation biofuels, using the untapped potential of forestry and wood waste as new feedstocks.
In other related news, the CRFA today applauded the announcement by the government of Canada for support of the new Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative (IGPC) ethanol project in Ontario. The project will receive funding under the federal government's ecoAgriculture Biofuels Capital Initiative (ecoABC) program.
"This is good news for Ontario, good news for farmers, good news for the environment, and good news for energy diversity in Canada," said Robin Speer, Vice President, and Public Affairs for the CRFA. "The Integrated Grain Processors Co-operative project will benefit from the federal government's commitment to build a homegrown Canadian biofuels industry. This announcement shows that Canada is finally growing beyond oil."
The federal government's ecoABC Initiative gives agricultural producers an opportunity to invest in biofuel facilities. It will also help meet the new federal renewable fuel standard of having an average of five percent renewable content in gasoline by 2010, and two percent renewable content in diesel fuel and heating oil by 2012. ecoABC will help:
From wheat and canola farmers in the west, to corn and soybean farmers in the east, twenty new world-class biofuels facilities are expected to create more than 10,000 new jobs in rural communities, and provide a new market for over 200 million bushels of Canadian grains and oilseeds.
Using Natural Resources Canada calculations, the new measures will reduce GHG emissions by more than 4.2 megatonnes, which is the equivalent of taking more than one million cars off the road each and every year.
In an era of high oil and gasoline prices, all drivers across Canada benefit from the increased fuel diversity and the cost savings of new biofuel production, bringing choice and better prices for consumers.
Founded in 1994, the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association is a non-profit organization with a mission to promote renewable transportation fuels through consumer awareness and government liaison activities. The CRFA membership is comprised of representatives from all levels of the ethanol and biodiesel industry, including: grain and cellulose ethanol producers, biodiesel producers, fuel technology providers, and agricultural associations.
