OFA is pleased for the opportunity to provide comments and an agricultural perspective on the proposed Clean Fuel Regulations. OFA supports the proposed Clean Fuel Standards (CFS) and the development ad use of renewable fuel options, aligned with climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Attaining carbon sequestration targets means transitioning from fossil to renewable fuels. To make renewable fuel crop production viable during this transition, farmers need access to natural gas and compressed natural gas, as lower-carbon-intense alternatives to propane and diesel. OFA recommends governments continue to support the expansion of rural energy infrastructure focused on a transition towards lower carbon emitting fuels. OFA recommends improved collaboration between federal and provincial ministries ensuring that Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) are actively engaged by federal and provincial ministries of the environment and energy along with agricultural stakeholders.

OFA recommends the federal government compensate farmers for any lost production in these expanded buffer areas, and fund programming to improve these buffer areas for the purposes of enhancing environmental protections. OFA supports the scaling-up of our bioeconomy and investment in research to make lignocellulosic ethanol a more viable renewable fuel option using crop residues. OFA also encourages ECCC actions to ensure CFS requirements do not hinder the Canada-U.S. cross-border movement of renewable fuels. OFA supports government commitments to collaborate with Indigenous, provincial governments, and other public and private sector partners to deliver the Clean Fuel Standard.