The 4,500-member Canadian Trucking Alliance says the Canadian government needs to re-think its approach to a national biodiesel mandate set to kick in on July 1
and introduce measures to protect consumers of biodiesel from higher fuel prices, a loss of fuel efficiency and engine and warranty problems from sub-standard fuel.

CTA says the government's own analysis suggests that truckers have reason to be concerned.

A Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement on the mandate, published in the Feb. 26 edition of the Canada Gazette, confirms what CTA has been saying all along, the association says -- that consumers and taxpayers will pay the price for a massive subsidization of big agribusiness and alternative fuel producers for very little return in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

Specifically, the analysis concedes that the costs of the biodiesel mandate outweigh the benefits by $2.4 billion over 25 years, CTA says, while it will only contribute to a marginal reduction in greenhouse gases, and will cost consumers through higher pump prices and reduced fuel efficiency. The RIAS also lists the more than $2.2 billion in subsidies for the biofuel industry announced in recent years.

Moreover, CTA says there is nothing in the analysis that addresses its members' long-standing concerns over the lack of quality standards for biofuel or the impact that biodiesel could have on the operability and durability of their engines.