. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/CAN/311 
27 April 2010  
 (10-2193) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English/ 
 French 
 
 
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:  CANADA   
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:  Department of the Environment  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above :  Canadian Enquiry 
Point, 200-270 Albert Street, Ottawa, Ontario,  Canada, K1P 6N7. Tel.:  +1 613 238 3222, 
Fax:  +1 613 569 7808, E- mail:  enquirypoint@scc.ca  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [X], 5.7.1 [   ], other:   
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicab le, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):  Renewable fuels 
(ICS: 75.160)  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:  Proposed Renewable 
Fuels Regulations  (Available in English and French, 85 pages).     
6. Description of content:  Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are primary contributors to climate 
change.  The most significant sources of GHG emissions are anthropogenic, mostly as a result of combustion of fossil fuels.  The emissions of GHGs have been increasing significantly since the industrial revolution and this  trend is likely to continue if no action is 
taken.  
In 2007, the GHG emissions from the trans portation sector contributed around 27% to 
Canada's inventory of emissions.  Mode lling results from Natural Resources Canada 
(NRCan) indicate that the use of renewable fuel s in liquid petroleum fuel can contribute to 
GHG emission reductions on a lifecycle basis.  
The proposed Renewable Fuels Regulations (p roposed Regulations) are a key element of 
the Government's Renewable Fuels Strategy.  The objective of the proposed Regulations is 
to reduce GHG emissions by mandating an aver age 5% renewable fuel content based on the 
gasoline volume, thereby contributing towards the protection of Canadians and the environment from the impacts of climate change.  
 
  G/TBT/N/CAN/311 
Page 2  
 
  The proposed Regulations would require fuel producers and importers to have an average 
renewable fuel content of at least 5% based on the volume of gasoline produced and 
imported.  The proposed Regulations incl ude provisions that govern the creation of 
compliance units, allowing trading of these units among participants and also require record 
keeping and reporting to ensure compliance.   The proposed Regulations also include 
provisions requiring an average 2% renewable fuel content in diesel fuel and heating 
distillate oil based on annual volumes.  
These new regulations will require enough re newable fuel to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) 
emissions by about 4 megatonnes per year, th e GHG equivalent of taking almost one 
million vehicles from the road. 
Note: On 30 December 2006, Environment Canada  published the Notice of Intent (NOI) to 
develop a federal regulation requiring renewa ble fuels.  The NOI sets out the proposed 
regulatory approach and key design elements.  The NOI was notified as G/TBT/N/CAN/193. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the natu re of urgent problems where applicable:  
Protection of human health and the environment  
8. Relevant documents:   Canada Gazette, Part I, 10 Apr il 2010, Pages 734-818 (available in 
English and French)   
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
 Proposed date of entry into force:    Normally within 5 to 8 months of publication 
in the Canada Gazette, Part I. 
Certain provisions of the proposed Regulations 
would come into force on the day on which they are adopted, while the 5% requirement and provisions for compliance units would come into force on 1 September 2010.  
The distillate requirements would only be 
brought into force once the technical feasibility 
of renewable diesel fuel use under a range of Canadian conditions has been demonstrated.   
10. Final date for comments:  9 June 2010 
11. Text available from: National enquiry point [X], or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses,  if available of the other body:   The electronic 
version of the regulatory text  can be downloaded at:   
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/ p1/2010/2010-04-10/p df/g1-14415.pdf  (Canada Gazette) 
or  
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/ 2010/2010-04-10/html/reg1-eng.html  (English)  
http://www.gazette.gc.ca/rp-pr/p1/ 2010/2010-04-10/html/reg1-fra.html  (French)