Locomotive Emissions Regulations to reduce air pollutants

OTTAWA, June 28, 2017 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada is committed to protecting our air quality and ensuring Canadians have healthy communities in which to live, work and raise their families.

The Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, today announced new regulations to reduce air pollutants emissions from railway locomotives that harm our health and the environment.

The Locomotive Emissions Regulations, which were published today in the Canada Gazette, Part II, were developed under the Railway Safety Act. The Regulations will limit harmful emissions from locomotives operated by railway companies under federal jurisdiction through mandatory emission standards and reduced idling.

These Regulations align with those of the United States, which was one of the goals of the Canada-U.S. Regulatory Cooperation Council Locomotive Emissions Initiative.

The regulations support the Government of Canada's efforts to transition to a greener transportation sector and to advance green technologies.

Complementing these new regulations, ten research projects at Canadian universities will receive funding under the Clean Rail Academic Grant Program. This program provides federal funds to academic research programs developing technologies and practices that aim to reduce air emissions from the rail sector. Each research project will receive a grant of $25,000. Through this Program, Transport Canada will advance research into innovations that further address air emissions from the rail sector.

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"Our clean transportation efforts will achieve emission reductions, improve human health, and help protect the environment, while supporting clean growth and generating well-paying jobs for Canadians. We all will benefit by reducing rail sector emissions and by supporting research of new and emerging technologies."

The Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport

Associated Links

Canada Gazette, Part II

Clean Rail Academic Grant Program

Clean Rail Academic Grant Program Recipients

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Backgrounder
Clean Rail Academic Grant Program

The Clean Rail Academic Grant Program is part of the Government of Canada's efforts to reduce rail sector emissions and support research of new and emerging technologies. The Program provides grants of $25,000 to existing academic research programs that are developing emission-reduction technologies and practices for the transportation sector that could be applied to the rail industry.

Today, Minister Garneau announced ten $25,000 grants for research projects in support of Canada's Rail Emissions Regulatory Initiative occurring at universities across the country.

SOURCE Transport Canada

CONTACT: Delphine Denis, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, Ottawa, 613-991-0700, Delphine.denis@tc.gc.ca; Media Relations, Transport Canada, Ottawa, 613-993-0055, media@tc.gc.ca