Environmental assessment delays partly behind lack of biomass usage, says advocate

Yukon woodcutters are struggling and they say one of the reasons is the lack of new lots being opened by the Yukon government. So they have to move their equipment to existing cutting areas, but that costs money. Every time they move a piece of equipment it's easily five to ten grand. That's where they're losing a lot of money. The government has launched a number of initiatives to help harvesters recover. This includes opening more lots for seasonal and year-round access. But woodcutters say it's not happening fast enough. Not enough. There's a topic of discussion at this year's Yukon Forestry Conference, and an industry advocate says one of the reasons is... The YESAB process, that has been absolutely horrible. We saw YESAB screenings going through under six months prior to 2024, they're well over 12%. We're encroaching on 18 months at times now. YESAB is the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board. It's their job to evaluate proposed projects in the territory. YESAB's executive director admitted that evaluations are taking longer. He says more requests are coming in and they're more complicated. It's a systems-wide thing. Individuals are having to review multiple steps of a project for so many projects. The same three people in some organizations are getting asked. to do the unthinkable for a whole suite of projects as well. All of this is getting in the way of the industry tapping in to a potential source of energy, biomass. Back at the conference, it was all the buzz. Biomass is the use of wood products to provide heat and electricity, but the Yukon is still largely powered by fossil fuels. Peter Wright says there's a massive opportunity being missed. Our big message is that when that truck leaves empty after it's dropped off its fuel, All of the employment, all of the revenue, all of the opportunity just left with it. Next door in the Northwest Territories, roughly 40% of its government buildings are powered by biomass. At the conference, this longtime NWT government worker says he sees a lot of potential for its use in the Yukon. They need to start small and realize the savings and the benefits to it, and then start growing the homegrown markets. With the wood chips, don't be afraid, just step in and start and do it and don't look at one project trying to get your payback and your savings. With fossil fuel prices constantly fluctuating, biomass is being touted as the fuel source of tomorrow for the Yukon. But with delays at the assessment level, it might be a while before lots are opened en masse. Updated rules for YESAB's regional offices that assess most forestry projects are scheduled to take effect in the new year. TJ Deer, CBC News, Whitehorse.