We recently posted a response with the Yukon Environment and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) to comments about our proposed land treatment facility near Haines Junction. Unfortunately, the comments we were responding to were generally misinformation, full of wild, inaccurate claims that appear intended to generate baseless fear about a project that is both important and safe. If you want to read our response you can download it below, or visit the YESAB website, "Proponent Response to Comments 2024-0055-0136 and 2024-0055-0138" or document # 2024-0055-0154.
Public discussion of proposed projects is important, allowing proponents and the community to share information, address questions, and make refinements to address any concerns. Those discussions must be grounded in good information, never misleading claims and fear-mongering.
We thought we’d share our response here, so we can clarify the facts.
Fact is, Haines Junction needs an LTF to treat historic contamination. There are numerous contaminated sites in the region - properties that used to be home to gas stations with leaky fuel tanks or buildings with oil furnaces with in-ground tanks that have leaked. Those properties need to be cleaned up before they can be redeveloped or sold, and in the meantime that oil and gas pollution is sitting in the ground, invisible but posing a risk to groundwater and neighbouring properties. In a properly-run LTF that soil can be effectively cleaned through natural biological processes over 2 - 18 months. We have a proven track record with LTFs - we’ve operated a similar site in Whitehorse for the last decade without issue. We will build this facility to the highest environmental standards.
The site we have chosen is already home to a quarry, which has operated there for more than 20 years without issue. The LTF will be farther away from residential properties (850 meters) than the existing quarry, and have a much smaller footprint. We won’t use any chemicals, and we won’t treat heavy metals - just hydrocarbons.
LTFs have been used since the 1970s. They are common - the Yukon has several of them, just none in the Haines Junction area. They are proven, effective, and safe.
Give our response a read if you’d like to know more. Thank you!