February 8, 2010
Canadian Environment Minister Denounces Quebec Vehicle Emissions Regs
Canadian environment minister Jim Prentice said that Quebec’s new light vehicle emissions regulation are “counter-productive,” a statement that has Quebec countering that the federal government is siding with the automotive industry.
Quebec’s new vehicle emissions regulations, which are modeled after California’s, were put in place Jan. 14, but the full ramifications won’t be felt until 2016.
The regulation gives automobile manufacturers six years to adopt emissions reductions ranging from 24 percent to 37 percent, depending on the size of the vehicle.
Any vehicles not meeting the standard will be subject to an additional $5,000 fee.
Prentice criticized the regulations, saying that they will cause consumer to simply leave the province to buy vehicles, reports the New York Times.
Prentice also said that Canada would rather synchronize emissions targets with those in the U.S., as opposed to a piecemeal approach.
Another 14 states in the U.S. are in various stages of adopting rules similar to those in California.
In an editorial, the Edmonton Journal applauded Prentice for his “Tory straight talk.”
Meanwhile, Quebec’s environment minister has accused Canada’s federal government of siding with the automotive industry, reports CP.
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Reader Comments
Canadians have been waiting for the feds to act on climate change for over 30 years. If Prentice doesn’t want a piecemeal approach then he needs to provide leadership. We are still waiting for a federal plan. At the current rate our children will all die. Perhaps he could follow the US, as Quebec is, and go with the American piecemeal state by state approach.
Stuart | February 8th, 2010
The discrepancy between federal and provincial regulations is remarkable sometimes. One has to wonder how businesses cope with this. We try to offer some plain language guidance on what to do at the federal and provincial levels, but it is a very big challenge. See our site to find our more on vehicle emission regulations across the country: http://www.nimonikapp.ca/topics/11/open_sub_topics/30
Jonathan Brun | February 11th, 2010