SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - With the City of Yellowknife setting goals for emission reduction, the Arctic Energy Alliance wants the GNWT to follow suit.

"They've met their own internal needs already," said executive director Andrew Robinson of Yellowknife's reduction goals – six per cent community reduction by 2014 and 20 per cent for city operations. "They're five years ahead of schedule. You see ground-breaking programming coming out of Yellowknife."

Robinson made his presentation Friday to the committee on Economic Development and Infrastructure at the legislative assembly. The Arctic Energy Alliance is a not for profit organization working to improve energy efficiency in the North.

Robinson said energy efficient standards for new homes are a big part of Yellowknife's green programming, and is transforming the way trailer homes are being built in Western Canada.

"As far as I know the GNWT doesn't have an emission reduction program," he said. "It would help if you set a target for what you do, people will find a way to get there. If you don't set a target, you'll see programming that is going in different directions but not quite sure where it's going."

With so much money going into energy a clear focus is vital, he said, adding wood pellet heating could help the GNWT meet any specific goal it decided on.

The committee, chaired by Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay, focused on barriers within the GNWT that make the alliance's goals difficult to achieve. Ramsay said the GNWT has a long way to go.

"I really believe we have to do more in the area of programming and services that we provide as a government to our residents when it comes to energy efficiency," he said. These include helping Northerners replace appliances, fix houses and change over to alternative energy sources.

"We've got to do better at getting more money into residents' hands so they can address the areas of energy efficiency in their home," Ramsay said, calling the alliance the "vehicle to get that programming into the hands of residents."

Robinson said his organization spent about $340,000 to help residents address energy efficiency in homes.