Update: February 20, 2012
The Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Regulation is being amended to implement changes that will improve British Columbia’s low carbon fuel requirements.
In June, 2011, the Province announced that British Columbia’s Clean Technology Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Mines, MLA John Yap, would consult with industry on how to improve British Columbia’s low carbon fuel requirements. The Secretary conducted a comprehensive and thorough review. As a result the Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Regulation (Regulation) has been amended to:
- Set the renewable content in diesel to be four percent from 2012 onward.
- Set the volume exemption threshold for 2012 onward to be 75 million litres of gasoline and diesel in total.
- For the carbon intensity requirements only, set the period from January 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 to be one compliance period with the required carbon intensity set to the carbon intensity of gasoline. This will ensure that all suppliers will be in compliance automatically, and will be, in effect, only required to report their average carbon intensity.
- For the carbon intensity requirements only, set the period from July 1, 2013 to December 31, 2014 to be one compliance period with the same carbon intensity requirement as that currently required for 2014.
The Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Regulation (RLCFRR) will reduce British Columbia's reliance on non-renewable fuels, help reduce the environmental impact of transportation fuels and contribute to a new, low-carbon economy.
The RLCFRR provides a regulatory framework that enables the Province to set benchmarks for the amount of renewable fuel in B.C.’s transportation fuel blends, reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels and meet its commitment to adopt a low-carbon fuel standard. This legislation supports British Columbia’s goal to lower provincial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 33 percent by 2020.
The RLCFRR will help diversify B.C.’s transportation fuel supply, decrease GHG emissions and establish a market for low-carbon fuels by:
- Encouraging suppliers to determine how best to meet the requirements in accordance with consumer demand and market forces;
- Reducing reliance on non-renewable fuels; and
- Enabling requirements that encourage emerging cleaner fuel technologies.
The RLCFRR will reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels through two major requirements:
Renewable Fuel Requirement
- Gasoline
- 5 percent renewable content in gasoline beginning in 2010
- Diesel
- 3 percent renewable content in 2010
- 4 percent renewable content in 2011 and onward
Low Carbon Fuel Requirement
- 10 percent reduction in carbon intensity by 2020
The use of renewable fuel in 2010 saved 418,919 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions from being released into the environment, the equivalent of about 82,000 cars being removed from the road.
Legislation:
Information Bulletins:
Reporting Forms:
For more information, please see:
Last Updated: February 2012
