TORONTO — The Ontario Trucking Association is urging the provincial government not to simply assume biodiesel is a cleaner, more efficient alternative to petroleum — but to prove it before legislating the boutique fuel on the trucking industry.

OTA President David Bradley wrote to Ontario’s Minister of Agriculture, citing recent comments made by the Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA), warning against the use of biodiesel in upcoming, smog-free, 2007 engines.

EMA questioned the biodiesel quality in such engines and challenged the environmental motives of biodiesel in 2007 engines.

OTA says the government needs to back up its biodiesel
plans with science if it’s going to be accepted by industry

“Before the nation moves to increase the biodiesel content of the biodiesel fuel supply, engine manufacturers and biodiesel must fully evaluate biodiesel fuels,” said EMA President Jed Mandel in a news release,” … engine manufacturers need assurance that biodiesel blend are an acceptable fuel, and that their use in state-of-the-art engines (2007+) does not have a negative impact on performance, durability, or the ability to meet near-zero emissions set by the US EPA (duplicate regulations in Canada) and the California Air Resources Board.

“Considering the tremendous investment that engine manufacturers and the nation have made to develop today’s low emitting and energy efficient diesel technology, we cannot just assume that biodiesel is better.”

The Canadian Trucking Alliance echoed those sentiments in a recent environmental policy statement. The group recommends a cautious and scientific approach to the possible introduction of a mandatory biodiesel blend.

Furthermore, CTA urges Environment Canada to develop a precise definition of what it means when it refers to biodiesel. In cooperation with CTA, truck engine manufactures and biodiesel producers should conduct pilot programs to ensure operational concerns are addressed with regard to existing and 2007-2010 truck engines before any national biodiesel blend can be considered, says CTA.

“If the Province of Ontario is still considering the mandatory introduction of biodiesel, I would suggest that the points raised by EMA must be recognized by your ministry and rigorous scientific testing should be undertaken to assess the impact of biodiesel on modern truck engines,” wrote Bradley.

Ontario has for years been toying with the idea of mandating a B2 or B5 blend for that province. But thanks to pressure by some groups, including the OTA, the government has kept shelving the proposal to this point.

Biodiesel blends have been legislated in a handful of U.S. states, including Minnesota, where the requirement got off to a rocky start after widespread misfueling and well as supply and quality problems with the fuel.