New provincial rules have gone into effect in Ontario, Canada, mandating that biofuel comprise a minimum of 4% of diesel fuel blends by 2017. The greenhouse gas emissions associated with such biofuel must also be reduced by at least 30% by 2015 and 70% by 2017.
The Ontario government notes that these rules are targeted specifically to the transportation sector – home heating fuels and aviation fuels are exempt from the new requirements. The biofuel that will be blended can be derived from various feedstocks, such as canola and soy oils, animal fats and recycled cooking oils.
‘Using greener diesel is a step towards a clean, sustainable energy future – an important goal for everyone in the province,’ says Kathleen Wynne, Ontario's minister of agriculture and food.
‘This is fantastic news for our renewable fuels industry, as well as Ontario,’ said W. Scott Thurlow, president of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. ‘Ontario has created the gold standard for biofuels regulations.’
