Advanced Biofuels Canada (ABFC) acknowledged a milestone in British Columbia’s record of action to reduce transportation greenhouse gas emissions.
The province will be the first jurisdiction in North America to require fuel suppliers to incorporate low carbon jet fuel (LCJF) into fossil jet fuel.
British Columbia has also approved a revamped Low Carbon Fuel Regulation, designed to modernize the previous standard.
ABFC released this statement by President Ian Thomson.
“When the province set a new 2030 transportation emissions reduction target in December 2022 within its CleanBC strategy, it already had one of the most stringent low carbon fuel standards regulations in the world. BC required the use of low carbon on-road transport fuels starting in 2013, but proven and fully functional low carbon fuels compatible with the large turbines in commercial aircraft took years of development”, explained Thomson.
“Fast forward to late 2023, there are hundreds of planes in the air today using LCJF, and with availability at over 100 airports. But for these alternatives to be manufactured at scale, fuel producers need assured markets, and that’s where BC’s leadership – again – is so critical. After consulting widely, BC has set gradual, achievable, and affordable targets. Aviation emissions are growing, and viable alternatives must perform as flawlessly as fossil jet fuels. Years of commercial use show that LCJF is not only as safe and operable as fossil jet, but also superior in several aspects.”
When asked about any impact on air travelers, Thomson offered, “Virtually none. While the regulation was approved today, its two components don’t come into effect until 2026 and 2028, and only at the largest airports. We worked with global aviation experts to assess the cost of this policy, and calculated that by 2030, it will add 1.5 per cent to the cost of a typical three-hour flight out of YVR; that’s about three dollars. Other experts concur. We believe that BC residents and visitors will embrace their role in protecting our natural wonders from the ravages of climate change.”
Advanced Biofuels Canada noted that BC’s LCJF policy has other benefits. A number of companies are producing or planning to produce LCJF in BC, which will reduce fossil jet import reliance and create new cleantech job opportunities in every region of the province.
Several projects will utilize forestry residues to produce LCJF; leading experts on wildfire mitigation propose that using highly combustible forest-floor biomass to produce biofuel will not only lessen wildfire severity but also displace high-carbon fossil jet.
This press release was prepared and distributed Advanced Biofuels Canada.
