Watching Government Upgrading Canadian fuels

Canada's Council of Ministers of the Environment has proposed an extensive but flexible program to improve national standards for vehicle emissions and fuels.

The program also would require improved fuel efficiency, more use of alternative fuel vehicles, and better inspection and maintenance of auto emissions control systems.

Federal and provincial environmental ministers recently approved a task force's recommendations for the program. The recommendations were developed during the past year in a consultative process involving environmental, industry, and public representatives (OGJ, May 29, p. 12).

What's planned

Under the plan, Transport Canada is to update its vehicle emissions standards to match those the U.S. adopted in the 1990 Clean Air Act amendments.

If the U.S. proceeds with plans to require a cleaner burning "49 state car" comparable to California vehicles, Canada will adopt the same vehicle in model year 2001. If the U.S. does not proceed, Canada would develop its own low emission vehicle program.

Canada would negotiate with its auto manufacturing and alternative fuels industries to make more advanced technology, alternative fuel vehicles available.

To reduce emissions, provinces will consider programs to retire high emitting vehicles, require Stage II vapor recovery units at service stations, and even launch transportation demand management programs.

Environment Canada would develop and implement a national standard to ensure use of 100% low sulfur diesel for on-road use by Oct. 1, 1997.

Environment Canada also would set a maximum 10.5 psi vapor pressure for summertime gasoline, with 9 psi in the Windsor-Quebec City corridor and 8.1 psi in the Lower Fraser Valley on the West Coast. Deadline would be June 1, 1996, with a possible 1 year extension.

Benzene in gasoline would be limited to 1 vol %, with the option for a lower annual pool average for each refinery and importer to provide operational flexibility. That deadline would be Jan. 1, 1998.

Aromatics and olefins would be capped at the 1994 Canadian annual average beginning Jan. 1, 1997. Gasoline detergents would be required.

Limits on sulfur in gasoline would be determined by Jan. 1, 1997, and would be effective no later than Jan. 1, 2000.

The current average is about 360 ppm, but the task force said a level of less than 200 ppm appears to be warranted.

The cost

The Canadian Petroleum Products Institute said the proposed standards will require refiners to invest $500 million (Canadian) to upgrade their plants, an amount less than many industry observers had predicted.

A spokesman said, "CPPI is fairly comfortable with what the environment ministers have announced. We believe the process has resulted in a positive outcome, despite the difficulty of resolving some complex environmental and economic issues.

"We are pleased to see that the ministers recognized the need for operational flexibility on benzene...to achieve the desired result in the most cost effective manner." Copyright 1995 Oil & Gas Journal. All Rights Reserved.