Minnesota Corn Joins Trade Mission to Canada on Clean Fuels Regulations
Last week Executive Director Adam Birr joined a group of state corn executives on a U.S. Grains & Bioproducts Council mission trip to Ottawa, Canada to learn more about Canada’s Clean Fuels Regulations (CFR). The CFR has been a significant driver for biofuels demand in Canada. Due in part to Minnesota’s proximity to our neighbors to the north, over 99% of the state’s ethanol exports are destined for Canada. The federal government is formulating targeted amendments near-term and a broader review of CFR in 2027. One of their goals is to increase use of domestic feedstock including biodiesel derived from canola oil as many of their farmers are facing challenges with exports markets such as China.
The USGBC delegation met with federal offices that have a connection to the CFR. For instance, representatives from Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) discussed their role in the development and implementation of Canada’s CFR much like the role of the USEPA in the RFS. Natural Resources Canada (NrCan) leads overall biofuels policy and creates opportunities for domestic companies to advance and develop new production projects in Canada. They were very interested in learning about the evolution of the biofuels industry in the United States and the impact it has had on rural communities. It was evident during that discussion that there is an opportunity to continue to strengthen Canadian biofuels demand that would benefit both Canadian and U.S. farmers. The group also met with Agriculture and Agri-food Canada who like our USDA is not directly responsible for biofuels policy but provides overall support on behalf of the Ag sector. We discussed not only our relationship through biofuels but the other ways our integrated U.S. – Canada relationship supports our ag economies on both sides of the border.
Overall, it was a great opportunity to meet with high-ranking Canadian officials who were very gracious with their time. It was clear in all of the meetings that we have a shared interest in supporting rural communities which is strengthened by our trade relationship. The hope is to build on this relationship to grow biofuels demand throughout North America.
