Greening of Oil: Canadian biofuels document triggers official denials

Environment Canada at odds with U.S. study claiming subsidies a waste

BY GARY PARK FOR GREENING OF OIL

A spreading North American debate over the costs and benefits of ethanol and biofuel policies lends itself to easy misunderstanding.

Take the case of what has been described as a “poorly worded” Canadian government document that indicated Ottawa—already under fire for its wavering on climate change measures—might be backing away from possibly its strongest policy initiatives to reduce greenhouse gases. The document, released Jan. 6, said that based on global production levels over the past three years “there is now evidence of implications to the environment from biofuels-based ethanol production facilities.”