Administrative burden of tar sand classification in the Fuel Quality Directive
The EUs Fuel Quality Directive requires Member States to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) intensity of fuels in road vehicles and non-road machinery by 6% by 2020.
To measure progress toward the target, the European Commission is designing measures to account for lifecycle GHG emissions from fossil fuels and reporting rules on fuel suppliers. These reporting measures will outline a methodology and default values for the lifecycle GHG emissions of transport fuels derived from different feedstock sources, including those from unconventional crudes.
This briefing addresses concerns over the impending rules that implement the Fuel Quality Directive. In particular, some stakeholders are concerned that requirements to account for the GHG balance of tar sands would be disproportionate due to current levels of imports.
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