OTTAWA, Ontario - The federal
government has released draft regulations to limit greenhouse gas
emissions from new vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. The
regulatory requirements to limit greenhouse gas emissions will be
implemented through the authority of the Canadian Environmental
Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA).

The draft regulations would establish fleet average greenhouse
gas emission standards aligned with applicable standards under the
U.S. national fuel economy program.

• Companies would be required to comply with “unique” fleet
  average GHG emission standards for passenger automobiles and light
  trucks aligned with applicable U.S. fuel economy standards for the
  2011 model year



• A company’s “unique” fleet average standard would be determined
  based on the size (i.e. footprint) and the number of vehicles it
  sells in the 2011 model year

2012 and Later Model Years

The draft regulations would establish a comprehensive regulatory
program for reducing GHG emissions aligned with the GHG-based
program that has been proposed by the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) under the Clean Air Act.

• Companies would be required to comply with “unique” fleet
  average GHG emission standards for passenger automobiles and light
  trucks for each model year



• A company’s “unique” fleet average standard would be determined
  based on the size (i.e. footprint) and the number of vehicles it
  sells in a given model year



• The fleet average GHG emission standards would become
  progressively more stringent with each new model year from
  2012-2016



• The GHG emission standards would put Canadian requirements at
  par with U.S. national standards and, by 2016 with the California
  standards.



• While more detailed modeling is being conducted, it is
  anticipated that the average GHG emission performance of the 2016
  Canadian fleet of new cars and light trucks would match the average
  level of 155 g CO₂/km (250 gCO₂/mile) that
  has been projected for the US, which would represent an approximate
  20% reduction compared to the new vehicle fleet that was sold in
  Canada in 2007.



• The regulations would also establish separate limits for other
  tailpipe GHG emissions such as nitrous oxide (N₂O) and
  methane (CH₄)

“Our regulations will help create a common North
American approach to regulating greenhouse gas emissions from new
vehicles,” said Environment Minister Jim Prentice. “This is an
important step in the fight against climate change.”

Canada and the U.S. are working towards a common North American
approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by introducing aligned
and progressively tighter regulatory requirements over the
2011-2016 model years. Because the two countries share a deeply
integrated automotive industry, there are significant environmental
and economic benefits to an approach that is closely aligned.

Today’s release of the draft regulations is the next step in the
process that was announced by Minister Prentice in April 2009, and
will allow for early consultations with provinces, territories and
stakeholders. Following these consultations, proposed regulations
are expected to be published in the Canada Gazette Part I for a
60-day formal public comment period.

href=”http://www.ec.gc.ca/ceparegistry/documents/participation/ghg/default.cfm”
target=”_blank”>The draft regulations can be found here

See also href=”/default.asp?lang=En&n=6F2DE1CA-1&news=545C9584-3F55-4709-AFCC-4734F885F52F”
target=”_blank”>Key Features of the Draft Regulation of GHG
Emissions From New Vehicles