Natural Resources committee  I'm sorry, I'll have to get that information for you. I don't have anything current on that.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you for your question. You're right that it was in 2007-2008 that there were 13,000 homeowners who received grants. I'd be happy to table that breakdown by province.

Natural Resources committee  If I may, I just wanted to add one comment. We have found that our cost-recovery agencies are operating with the best levels of service compared to those that do not operate on a cost-recovery basis, such as the Environmental Assessment Agency, DFO, and some of the line departments.

Natural Resources committee  I don't have anything to add on that front.

Natural Resources committee  There are two big pipeline projects pending for the Arctic: the MacKenzie Valley pipeline and the Alaska pipeline. The pipeline that is much further advanced is the MacKenzie Valley. I wouldn't want you to think that it's stalled at all. It's actually now coming to the final phase of the review by the joint review panel that is overseen by the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's a fairly wide-ranging question. I'll do my best to make some comments on it. The National Energy Board, as you know, has the specific mandate to review projects, infrastructure projects particularly that cross interprovincial or international boundaries, and so is very much involved with the Clipper and Southern Lights.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you. It's an interesting question indeed. We have two agencies within our portfolio: the National Energy Board and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission, which both operate under a Treasury Board policy on cost recovery. So I believe there are elements in that policy itself that outline some of the performance expectations around a cost recovery.

Natural Resources committee  Mr. Chair, I think we'll have to get back to the committee with those figures. I don't have them in front of me.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, you have that commitment. I wanted to mention that the development of a production incentive for biofuels replaces an exemption on the excise tax for biofuels. There was this switchover from an exemption on the excise tax to an actual dedicated and focused production incentive.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you for those questions. They are certainly very pertinent. In terms of the first question, which is about the studies done around the net energy used in the production of ethanol, a fair amount of research has been undertaken on that front. I can't name a particular study that has been undertaken by NRCan, but I do believe there is some research we have used in the development of our ethanol program.

Natural Resources committee  The ecoENERGY for renewable heat program, which the minister was mentioning, did have, this year, 200 contribution agreements. Those were signed with clients in the commercial, industrial, and institutional sectors. So that is the focus of that program at the present time. I think there is some interest in looking at the potential of domestic partners in the future, but right now we thought we would get the best understanding and deployment within the small-business and institutional sector.

Natural Resources committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll start with the question on the government's response to unemployed forest workers, and then perhaps ask my ADM for the forestry sector to get into more details around the number of beetles. We had some discussion when I was last here on the question of the community development trust.

Natural Resources committee  Yes. As the minister mentioned, a decision was taken by the government to provide resources to provincial governments to address readjustment programs, or support for individual unemployed forest workers at the community level. The perspective we have at National Resources Canada is to focus on the competitiveness of the forestry industry.

Natural Resources committee  Mr. Chair, if I may, I'll ask my assistant deputy minister for the Canadian Forest Service to respond.

Natural Resources committee  Yes, certainly. Thank you for the question. I'd be happy to respond. NRCan is responsible for making these statutory payments to Nova Scotia and to Newfoundland and Labrador in an amount equal to royalty and other payments received by the federal government from offshore oil and gas activities.