Clean fuel standard would cost people heavily and not reduce emissions: McTeague

A new clean fuel standard set by the Canadian government could take a bite out of people’s wallets, a gas analyst said Tuesday.

Dan McTeague, the president of the Canadians for Affordable Energy, told Gormley the standard could cost $1,277 a year per year per person which, compounded by the current cost of living, isn’t affordable for many.

McTeague said the standard is a second measure — after the carbon tax — applied by the government to reduce emissions from liquid fuels like diesel and gasoline.

McTeague said implementing the standard is designed for price efficiency, and many economists he knows explain it is not feasible to layer regulations.

“We have to have policies based on reality, not based on aspirations and wonderful things that have happened in a near term,” said McTeague.

McTeague said a second carbon tax is something he has not seen any other country is attempt, and could become very expensive for taxpayers.

“We are now going to burden Canadians for what is an intolerable price to pay,” said McTeague. “At the end of the day, I’m not sure that we can have our combines, mining vehicles and our transport infrastructure including rail all done on hydrogen and battery, certainly not by 2030.”

With the price of gas creeping up, McTeague said it could cost an extra 60 cents a litre for automotive gasoline by 2030. McTeague said there has not been a dramatic decrease in carbon emissions with the carbon tax, and he doesn’t expect to see a decrease in carbon emissions through the clean fuel standard.