Canada to match California, Quebec on tailpipe emissions

OTTAWA — Environment Canada is drafting vehicle tailpipe regulations to match the climate change goals of Quebec and California, according to a recently released federal document.

Although Environment Minister Jim Prentice ridiculed Quebec's introduction of its own standards this week, describing it as a "folly" that could result in a $5,000 price increase for car buyers, his department is preparing to publish regulations by this summer to harmonize with both California and federal U.S. standards.

"It is expected that the final regulations will be in place in the summer of 2010," said the background document published by Environment Canada at the end of 2009. "The proposed standards would require substantial environmental improvements from new vehicles and would put Canadian GHG emission standards at par with U.S. national standards and, by 2016 with the California standards."