On Sunday September 11th during a fuel efficient vehicle display in Charlottetown, I had the opportunity to present MP Shawn Murphy with a Pure Canada Foundation shirt, and an info card about the SE2 project that Fraser Valley residents are opposed to.

Shawn and his wife Yvette Comeau came to the event in their Honda Civic hybrid. I had a chance to talk about the One-Tonne Challenge and how the smart car fits into the picture. Yvette and I had a discussion about diesel fuel, and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act of 1999 whch mandates a reduction of sulphur content in diesel fuel beginning in June 2006.

The proposed Regulations will lower the maximum limit for sulphur in on-road diesel fuel to 15 milligrams per kilogram of the fuel, which is equivalent to 15 parts per million (p.p.m.), commencing June 1, 2006. The current regulations, in effect since January 1, 1998, specify a maximum limit of 0.05 percent by weight for sulphur (i.e., 500 milligrams per kilogram of fuel, or 500 p.p.m.). The further reduction of sulphur in on-road diesel fuel is required primarily to enable the efficient operation of advanced exhaust emission control technologies needed to comply with new heavy-duty diesel vehicle emissions standards that are expected to come into effect for the 2007 model year. The low sulphur diesel fuel will also be necessary to enable diesel light-duty vehicles to use similar technologies as a means of meeting emission standards that are planned to be phased in starting with the 2004 model year.