Burning Biomass - QP

CLAUDIA CHENDER » : My question is for the Minister of Natural Resources and Renewables. The climate crisis leaves us no time for loopholes, but a new report called Missing the Forest: How Carbon Loopholes for Logging Hinder Canada's Climate Leadership points to the many ways that Canada fails to fully account for carbon emissions in the forestry industry. In particular, they note that calculations of burning biomass for electricity do not account for emissions coming from full supply chain including forestry practices and transportation.

Mr. Speaker, can the minister tell the House if, in his view, burning biomass for electricity is actually carbon neutral?

HON. TORY RUSHTON « » : I do know that the conversations for the last number of years have included biomass burning and small-scale wood chip burning - which is something the previous government alluded to after the Lahey report came out - something we were very clear of in and around the Northern Pulp issue in 2020.

We certainly looked at biomass burning as a party. Is it efficient just to be doing electricity? No. I'm an electrician by trade. I know a little bit about power generation. There are other aspects of biomass burning that we can actually achieve and achieve it in an environmental way. I'm not talking about cutting round wood to be throwing it in. I'm talking about the pulpwood, the residuals of the mills - actual pulpwood and low-grade wood fibre. I can say right now that this government certainly would not stand behind us taking round logs in order to create a biomass economy here in Nova Scotia.

CLAUDIA CHENDER « » : We are talking about biomass for electricity in this case, and that latter example that the minister gave.

Mr. Speaker, in 2010, the provincial renewable electricity plan did commit to using biomass for electricity to meet 2015 renewable targets but cautioned against using it long-term. The authors strongly advised that its use be revisited in favour of more sustainable options. This has not happened, but many Nova Scotians want to see it done.

This past Summer, in public consultations for the province's climate plan, Nova Scotians voiced strong opposition to burning biomass for electricity. Will the minister commit to a full life-cycle analysis of the emissions of electricity generated by biomass before the climate plan for clean growth is released?

TORY RUSHTON « » : I know that the member is very passionate about the issue in and around the biomass and the efficiency of just creating electricity with the burning of biomass. What I will commit to today is the bill that will be up for third reading to do with climate change and how this government's going to work with the members opposite to protect our climate, to protect our environment, and to ensure that we're going to get off coal.

I guarantee to the member opposite that we're certainly going to have a deep look into what biomass will look like for the province of Nova Scotia and how we're going to move away from that coal but utilize the resources that we do still have here in the province of Nova Scotia.