Canada and California sign agreement for cleaner transportation

Joining together to cut air pollution and help fight climate change, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna, and the Chair of the California Air Resources Board, Mary Nichols, have signed a new cooperation agreement to advance cleaner vehicles and fuels. 

With nearly a quarter of Canada’s carbon emissions and over 40 per cent of California’s coming from the transportation sector, cleaner vehicles and fuels can make a huge contribution to meeting our climate and clean air goals. California, the world’s fifth-largest economy, is recognised as a global leader in clean transportation.

The Memorandum of Understanding commits both governments to work together on developing their respective regulations to cut greenhouse gas emissions from light-duty vehicles, such as those currently in effect in Canada, California and the 13 U.S. states that have adopted California’s standards. Canada is currently reviewing its light-duty vehicle standards to help make sure people can drive fuel-efficient cars that cut pollution and reduce fuel costs.

The partnership will see Canada and California work together to accelerate the adoption of zero-emission vehicles like electric cars. This could include sharing lessons learned by both jurisdictions about requirements, incentives, and dealer inducements to boost sales, along with sharing approaches to developing charging infrastructure.

The two jurisdictions will also share technical information and best practices in regulating cleaner fuels, as California does today though its Low-Carbon Fuel Standard. Canada is developing a Clean Fuel Standard that will cut emissions by 30 million tonnes in 2030.

The cooperation will take a variety of forms, including establishing a working group that meets annually, sharing policy information and program design, providing capacity building and technical support, exchanges of personnel, cooperative research and development, and joint organisation of symposia and trainings. The two regulatory agencies will also work together on emissions testing and enforcement of vehicle regulations.

Mary Nichols, Chair, California Air Resources Board, said: “With California and Canada solidifying our partnership, which represents half of the North American auto market, both recognise that cleaner vehicles and fuels will be critical to combating climate change, cleaning up air across our communities, and saving Canadians and Californians money at the pump.”

Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, said: “It’s great news that Canada will be working even more closely with California on fighting climate change with cleaner cars, trucks and fuels. Working together means a bigger market for clean cars in North America, giving Canadians more choices to save on fuel costs and cut pollution. We need to advance clean technology and make it affordable for everyone.”