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Closed Consultation

Transport Canada ENGO-only Technical Consultations on Canada’s Development of Motor Vehicle Fuel Consumption Regulations

When: March 10th, 2008, from 9:00am-4:00pm
Where: Transport Canada, 330 Sparks St, Place de Ville, Tower C, Ottawa, ON

The Canadian Environmental Network (RCEN) and the Climate Action Network jointly selected ten (10) ENGO delegates for Transport Canada's ENGO-only meeting related to consultations being undertaken on Canada’s development of motor vehicle fuel consumption regulations.

The selected chosen delegates were:

Read the ENGO Consolidated Report here.

General Information
The purpose of the consultation was to solicit feedback on the technical aspects of regulation development process, including the following:

(1) New features of the U.S. Energy Act expanding manufacturers’ flexibility in meeting annual standards and their desirability or feasibility in a Canadian context including:

  • Extension of allowable use of credits earned for over-achievement of standard in one year to any of the previous or subsequent 5 years (rather than 3 years in the previous Act);
  • Trading by a manufacturer of credits between cars and light trucks;
  • Trading of credits between manufacturers; and
  • Extension from 2014 to 2019 of credits allowed for flexible-fuel vehicles, and inclusion of bio-diesel.

(2)  Other administrative issues in application of the MVFCSA, including:

  • Lead time and schedule for regulatory process; and
  • Exemptions for low-volume manufacturers.

(3) Methods and assumptions in the analysis of implications for Canada, including:

  • Forecasts of vehicle sales, fuel consumption and emissions;
  • Technology cost estimates;
  • Discount rate for valuation of costs and benefits in future years; and
  • Monetary values of GHGs, air pollutants, safety and congestion effects.

(4) Potential complementary measures to fuel consumption regulation, such as:

  • Policies envisaged in the U.S. Act, including revisions to fuel consumption labeling and a new program of consumer information on replacement tire performance; and
  • Other measures that might stimulate technology adoption, choices of fuel-efficient vehicles, or vehicle usage.

(5) The implications of the emergence of state/provincial standards, including those in California, for national regulations.
A technical paper was prepared by Transport Canada to provide a basis or starting ground for this consultation.  Some of the discussion centered on the application of various standards options and the forecasting of outcomes.

Background Information:

Link to technical paper: http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/en/environment/FuelConsumption/index.html

Transport Canada Fuel Consumption Task Force website:
http://www.tc.gc.ca/pol/en/environment/FuelConsumption/index.html

For more information, please contact Daniel Casselman, RCEN National Caucus Coordinator, at (613) 728-9810, ext. 236.

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