Canada orders environmental study of biofuels

Just as a Canadian law requiring that gasoline include 5% biofuels is about to go into effect, the country’s government has ordered an environmental impact study on the manufacture of biofuels, according to Reuters news agency.
The study is a response to concerns over potential pollution resulting from biofuels manufacture. "Experiences in the U.S. and Brazil now suggest that existing biofuels production facilities are responsible for the generation of a range of new air- and water-related problems as well as recent concerns over human health," says a document from Environment Canada, the country’s environmental protection agency.
The Canadian government has committed to providing biofuels manufacturers with CAN$1.5B (US$1.4B) in subsidies over the next nine years.