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Transportation and Conservation

BY Paul Provost, National Coordinator, Environmental Protection Programs

CSC Garage Supervisor, Carl Gundlach of Drumheller Institution, fuelling a 2003 Dodge Caravan with E-85.

The automobile: that almost sacred object, idealized, revered, and advertised beyond all measure. We nearly forget the way it pollutes. The selling point is freedom, with no mention of environmental impact. According to Natural Resources Canada, transportation is the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada. You cannot stop progress, of course, but is this really progress? It is for air pollution! Nevertheless, over the past 20 years, a quiet evolution has been taking place, attempting to break the stronghold of the North American automobile industry and the conventional gasoline engine. And the fleet of vehicles operated by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has not escaped this effort. Mistakes, successes, failures, adjustments — the route taken by CSC’s automotive fleet may be a winding one, but CSC doesn’t give up, and the pursuit for sustainable development is ongoing.

Alternatives and Obstacles

An initiative that began two decades ago, the use of alternative fuels continues supplying the 1,050 vehicles that constitute the CSC automotive fleet. It began in the latter half of the ’80s, when the advent of propane as an alternative fuel created interest in some CSC institutions. But this choice proved unsustainable in the medium term, primarily because of technical difficulties in cold weather and the certification requirements associated with refuelling. Then, in the early ’90s, the development of natural gas for vehicles (NGV) found strong support at CSC. The option of a clean, economical fuel, grants for vehicle conversion and passage of federal legislation — the Alternative Fuels Act (1995) — seem to have been mainly responsible for the popularity of NGV. However, the initial excitement soon wore off due to both technical and human limitations: the shortage of specialized maintenance services for vehicles converted to NGV, problems with off-site fuelling, lack of independence, fears related to safety while refuelling, resistance to change, and more.

The Years 2000

With so many unknowns, some institutions opted at the turn of the millennium to purchase battery-electric vehicles — particularly appropriate for vehicles operating only on CSC premises — despite their limited usefulness. Finally, in the year 2000 and after, hybrid vehicles (gasoline/electric) were added to CSC’s fleet. Although they are more expensive to buy, hybrid vehicles have been growing in popularity because of their versatility, reliability and energy-efficient performance.

At the same time, there has been significant interest, particularly in Western Canada, in vehicles fuelled by ethanol 85 (fuel E-85), which contains up to 85 percent ethanol.

A subsidy program offered by Natural Resources Canada for installation of above-ground tanks, coupled with a credit of $0.70 per litre of E-85 consumed, has lent considerable impetus to use of this alternative fuel since 2003. As a result, over 50,000 litres of E-85 were consumed in 2004–2005 by the six participating institutions in the Prairie Region, for savings of nearly $45,000 on fuel.

The Bottom of the Barrel?

Since cutting down on driving is not an option, the recourse to energy-efficient criteria when buying a car would make sense. And it will help your budget, especially if you consider that constantly rising gas prices now seem to be the norm.

The entire situation is becoming urgent. Global petroleum reserves are shrinking rapidly (about 50 years to go, according to some sources) and the social and environmental repercussions can already be felt: urban smog, greenhouse gases and climate change are a growing part of modern life that we certainly do not want to bequeath to our children.

For more information on alternative fuels, visit the Natural Resources Canada Web site at: http://oee.rncan.gc.ca/ transportation/personal/vehicle-fuels.cfm?attr=8 ♦