Canada welcomes EC fuel directive delay

The Canadian government welcomed a decision by the European Commission to delay for further study an emissions-abatement measure that would penalize transportation fuels originating in the oil sands region of Alberta.

EC environmental officials had planned to publish rules implementing the European Union’s Fuel Quality Directive in June but said on Apr. 20 that they would conduct an impact assessment delaying the move until early 2013.

Joe Oliver, Canada’s minister of natural resources, welcomed the delay and repeated his government’s support of the directive’s goals of reducing emissions of greenhouse gases.

“However, we remain strongly opposed to Canadian oil sands crude being unfairly discriminated against,” he said.

He said studies have shown “life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions of oil sands crude are similar to or in some cases lower than several crude oils currently imported an used daily in the EU.”