W. Scott Thurlow, President of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association, used an Ottawa luncheon meeting of the Economic Club of Canada today to announce a new strategic plan for the Association. Entitled Evolution and Growth: From Biofuels to Bioeconomy, the strategy acknowledges that biofuels are not just about replacing and enhancing petroleum as an energy resource but should also provide the chemical building blocks of a greener industrial economy.

Thurlow’s presentation emphasized that renewable fuels provide major economic, environmental and social benefits and that innovation within and assisted by the industry has now reached a point where renewables are now going from green to greener. Renewable fuels are now encouraging such initiatives as the modernization of industry, diverting waste from landfills, and revitalizing the forestry sector.

The CRFA is seeking:

• a fair value for greenhouse gas reductions, meaning monetizing of emission reductions through emissions trading or a carbon tax.
• platforms that help advance innovation and promote investment in new renewable fuels technologies in Canada.
• increasing the federal renewable diesel mandate to ensure a 5% inclusion rate of biodiesel in diesel fuel by 2020.
• the build-out of new refuelling infrastructure so that consumers will have more choices at the pump.
• increasing domestic production and use of advanced biofuels.
• building a comprehensive bioeconomy strategy for Canada.

The full report and an audiovisual presentation are available at http://www.evolutionandgrowth.ca/

The next issue of Gallon Environment Letter will be focusing on the topic of building a bioeconomy and will provide more information about the CRFA proposals. Subscription instructions are at www.gallonletter.ca/subscription.htm