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Yukon NDP: More Needs to be Done to Combat Climate Change in Territory

Friday, 3 May 2019 12:17

Photo courtesy of Alaska Shore Tours

NDP Party Leader Liz Hanson says the current Liberal government needs to do more to address climate change in the Territory.

NDP Party Leader Liz Hanson says the current Liberal government needs to do more to address climate change in the Territory.

Hanson says the current utilities board isn't  setting enough of a  path forward for renewable energy generation in the Yukon.

"We have a utilities board that has basically said to Yukon Energy that you can't use demandside energy management as a way to lower your reliance on the current energy sources and increase our reliance on renewable energy. That would be something that the minister responsible could do through an Order and Council to change that direction. Ultimately, we want to see new legislation to the utilities board."

Hanson says she's ultimately disappointed with the current governments rollout of the carbon tax.

"We're concerned when we start talking about not being brave enough to talk about what carbon pricing actually is. It's supposed to be a way of making us less reliant on fossil fuels. Instead, what we've done in this territory, is skirted the issue of a carbon price because the government doesn't want to be seen as  (someone) that's put a new tax on."

Hanson also says carbon tax exemptions shouldn't be made for the biggest polluters.

"They're calling it something that the federal government has made us do. Additionally, we're exempting already a whole range of sectors from paying fuel taxes and then we're giving them rebates. How is that reducing the reliance on fossil fuels?"

Hanson says while it'll have to be communities themselves investing more in renewable energy technologies, it's still unfair for them to be competing in the energy sector where big pollutors are seeing rebates.

"We need to be looking at our independent power production and our power purchase agreements. Our concern is the way their structured, we're continuing to say you're competing against subsidized fossil fuels in terms of the cost. That has to change.  The power purchase agreements are going to be an impediment until we can bet beyond the idea that the benchmark is fossil fuels, which we've subsidized nationally and territorially."

Only five percent of the 2019-2020 capital budget is being spent on energy.

 

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