The National Energy Board (NEB) issued a “Hearing Order” on Jan. 29 that sets out the regulatory procedures for TransCanada’s Keystone Pipeline application to construct and operate the Canadian portion of the oil pipeline. The NEB will convene an oral public hearing beginning Monday June 4 at a location yet to be determined.

This is the second of two major regulatory applications to the NEB for the Canadian portion of the Keystone Pipeline, which will transport crude oil from Hardisty, Alberta, to refining centres in the U.S. Midwest.

Keystone filed its first regulatory application with the NEB in June 2006. The application was for approval to transfer a portion of TransCanada’s Canadian Mainline natural gas transmission facilities to Keystone for use as part of the oil pipeline. Public hearings on the transfer application were completed in mid-November and TransCanada anticipates a decision from the NEB in early 2007. In the Hearing Order, the NEB stated they issued it for the purpose of resource allocation and in the interest of efficiency, and it is not an indication of their decision on the June 2006 application.