Vancouver, B.C. -- April
6, 2010 --Today, Canada's Environment Minister,
Jim Prentice, and British Columbia's Minister
of State for Climate
Action, John Yap, signed an Agreement in
Principle on efforts to address Climate
Change.
"Effectively addressing
climate change requires action by all governments
in Canada. The Government of Canada is pleased
to cooperate with the Province of British
Columbia to coordinate our efforts to ensure
a national, coherent climate change approach
for all Canadians," said Minister Prentice.
"We are building
a strong template for acting on climate
change here in B.C. and it is great to have
the ongoing support of the federal government
as we move forward," said Minister
Yap. "Climate change is the challenge
of our generation and we need strong partnerships
like this one to devise solutions that help
us meet our legislative commitments while
creating new economic opportunities for
British Columbians."
The federal government
is working closely with provinces and territories
to ensure that our efforts to fight climate
change reinforce one another to the greatest
possible extent. Throughout summer 2009,
we consulted with the provinces and territories
on Canada's approach to tackling climate
change.
This is the first step
towards a formal Equivalency Agreement under
the Canadian Environmental Protection Act,
1999which will avoid the duplication of
regulatory measures and ensure that the
environmental needs of the province are
met. The Government of Canada continues
to work in close collaboration with the
provinces and territories in developing
harmonized climate change strategies with
the United States.
The Government of Canada
is committed to reducing our total greenhouse
gas emissions by 17 percent from 2005 levels
by 2020, a target which reflects the importance
of aligning with United States policy. Canada
is taking action on a number of fronts,
including implementing tough new regulations
to limit greenhouse gas emissions from the
automotive sector; investing billions through
our Economic Action Plan to protect the
environment; continuing to advance the Clean
Energy Dialogue with the United States Administration;
and implementing the Copenhagen Accord as
the basis for a new, legally-binding international
climate change agreement.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
+ More
Government of Canada
Moving Forward with Commitment to Regulate
Renewable Content in Gasoline
OTTAWA, Ont. -- April
1, 2010 -- The Government of Canada today
announced that it is moving forward with
proposed regulations that will require an
average renewable fuel content of five per
cent in gasoline by September 2010.
"We are fulfilling
the commitment we made in 2006 to regulate
renewable fuel content in gasoline and have
developed draft regulations following consultations
with industry, provinces and stakeholders,"
said the Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister
of the Environment. "This is further
action from the Government of Canada to
reduce emissions from the transportation
sector, which accounts for about one quarter
of Canada's greenhouse gas emissions."
"Increasing the
use of renewable fuel is an important part
of the commitment we have made to farmers
and rural communities," said the Honourable
Gerry Ritz, Minister of Agriculture. "This
regulation will provide the certainty needed
for the renewable fuels industry to make
investments that will create new jobs and
provide new market opportunities for farmers."
When fully implemented,
the Strategy's two regulatory requirements
combined with provincial regulations will
ensure a total volume of renewable fuel
that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions
by up to about four megatonnes per year-
about the equivalent of taking one million
vehicles off the road.
The proposed regulations
will be published in Canada Gazette Part
I in the near future. Following a 60-day
formal public comment period, final regulations
will come into force by September of 2010.
The Government will continue to work in
close consultation with the provinces and
territories, renewable fuels and petroleum
industries and other key stakeholders as
we finalize the regulation.
The proposed regulations
are part of the Government's broader Renewable
Fuels Strategy. Under this Strategy, the
Government is also supporting the National
Renewable Diesel Demonstration Initiative
which involves further testing on the use
of biodiesel to determine the technical
feasibility of renewable diesel under a
range of Canadian conditions.
"By using renewable
fuels, Canadians will reduce greenhouse
gas emissions and contribute to a cleaner
environment," said the Honourable Christian
Paradis, Minister of Natural Resources.
"We are working closely with industry
partners to plan for the integration of
renewable diesel in the Canadian fuel market,
pending successful results from demonstration
projects and infrastructure related studies."
The proposed regulations
are a key initiative in support of the Government
of Canada's commitment to reduce Canada's
total greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent
from 2005 levels by 2020, a target which
reflects the importance of aligning with
the U.S. In addition, the Government of
Canada is also establishing stringent regulated
standards to progressively tighten limits
for greenhouse gas emissions from new cars
and light trucks over the 2011 to 2016 model
years.
Frédéric Baril
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of the Environment
