THE New Year will mark a new era for Manitoba with the government's ethanol mandate coming into effect.
We will be requiring that 8.5 per cent of the total volume of gasoline sold in Manitoba be ethanol, which will mean that about 130 million litres of fossil fuels emitted from vehicles will be replaced with clean burning ethanol -- made right here in Manitoba.
Overall, our mandate will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 135,000 tonnes, the equivalent of removing 10,000 vehicles from the road.
Different from recent media reports and editorials discussing U.S corn-based ethanol, Manitoba's ethanol will be made largely from wheat -- carrying its own advantages.
The wheat kernel is made up of protein, carbon and starch. Right now the wheat is being exported with no value added coming from the starch. The ethanol production process turns the starch into ethanol and leaves 100 per cent of the protein to be put back into the food chain in the form of a valuable livestock feed.
In 2006, $1.4 billion left the province for imported gas and diesel from Alberta. Not only will our mandate curtail nearly $80 million of gasoline imports, the new Husky ethanol plant will purchase over $80 million worth of product from Manitoba farmers every year.
We can add value to our wheat production at the same time as cutting our imports of fossil fuels.
Secondly, also in the U.S. context, an editorial (Pumping up ethanol, Free Press, Oct. 25) spoke about E-85 targets. Manitoba has no such targets here -- not until we are satisfied that the next generation of ethanol production, made from cellulosic materials like straw and woodchips, are both environmentally and economically advantageous to our province.
As the incidence of cancer and asthma continue to rise, we must begin to ask -- what role does air quality have to play? Both ethanol and biodiesel reduce carcinogenic and harmful particulate matter in our air. The Manitoba Lung Association, along with its Canadian and American counterparts, continue to promote biofuels as a tool to begin to make improvements in the air we breathe.
Some Manitobans may wonder -- if ethanol is so attractive, why the incentives? It is important to note that, according to Canada's Auditor General, the oil and gas industry has received over $40 billion in incentives over the last 30 years from the federal government alone.
Manitoba, on the other hand, is the only jurisdiction in Canada to phase out our incentives over eight years --a recommendation put forward by the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce. New industries need some assistance before they become firmly established.
Displacing fossil fuels with clean burning biofuels is only one part of what is required to put a serious dent in our imports of fossil fuels. There are also gains to be made by conserving fuel and using it more efficiently.
Our government is also offering rebates for purchasing hybrid cars and we have promised to adopt California's vehicle emission targets. In addition we have seen local success with New Flyer's hybrid bus, have hydrogen buses built in Winnipeg going to the Olympics and have our hybrid initiative.
Manitoba's ethanol strategy is a moderate, balanced plan to reduce economic leakage, cut greenhouse gas emissions and give the rural economy a much needed boost.
Let's welcome the new era of biofuels in Manitoba.
Jim Rondeau is Manitoba's minister of Science, Technology, Energy and Mines.
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