Row over green status of oil from tar sands

MEPs say they will challenge Commission over environmental status of fossil fuel.

Oil from tar sands could be accorded the same environmental status as oil from less-polluting, conventional fossil fuel under EU rules being drawn up by the European Commission’s climate action department. 

The department is preparing to implement a law intended to reduce greenhouse- gas emissions from fossil fuel. Under the EU’s revised fuel quality law, by 2020 all oil companies operating on the EU market are obliged to reduce emissions by 6% compared to 2010 levels.

In a draft of the rules drawn up last year, tar sands was given an emission-footprint value 20% higher than conventional petrol. However, this was dropped from the draft after complaints from the Canadian government. Last week (23 June), a senior Commission official told the Parliament’s environment committee that the Commission was still studying the implementing rules. But since then a new draft of the rules has emerged, with tar sands still missing.

Although at present almost no oil from tar sands (oil derived from bitumen, largely produced in Canada) comes into the EU, environmentalists argue that the Commission should guard against giving incentives in favour of tar sand imports.

A Commission official told European Voice that “nothing has been decided yet”.

The Canadian government says that “oil sands” produce 5%-10% more greenhouse-gas emissions than conventional fossil fuels.

Waiting on Hedegaard

Connie Hedegaard, the European commissioner for climate action, has yet to intervene in the discussion. Her intervention could be decisive, as the Commission prepares to submit the final version of draft rules to member states’ fuel experts before the summer.

MEPs have already warned the Commission that they will challenge any attempt to exempt tar sands. Speaking last week, UK Socialist MEP Linda McAvan said: “If the Commission is serious about tackling climate change we have to get this issue sorted out.”