National Energy Board to hold oral hearing on Trans Mountain Pipeline motion for access to Burnaby Mountain and Notice of Constitutional Question

CALGARY, Oct. 7, 2014 /CNW/ - The National Energy Board (NEB or the Board) will hear oral arguments on a motion from Trans Mountain Pipeline seeking an order for access to Burnaby Mountain. The motion also includes a Notice of Constitutional Question. The hearing will begin at 9 am (MDT) on 9 October at the National Energy Board's offices in Calgary and the public is welcome to attend. The hearing is expected to last for one to two days.

Trans Mountain is requesting an NEB order which would grant the company access to Burnaby Mountain to carry out surveys and studies necessary for fixing the site of the pipeline. The motion also asks the NEB to forbid the City of Burnaby from denying the company access to the land.

On 25 September, the NEB turned down a motion from the company requesting a similar order as the NEB determined that the request contained a constitutional question. When raising a constitutional question, federal legislation requires that notice be provided to the Attorneys General of Canada and the provinces While this notice had not been provided in Trans Mountain's original request, it has now been served on the Attorneys General.

Before making a decision on this motion, the Board will hear from the City of Burnaby, Trans Mountain and any of the Attorneys General who choose to participate. The hearing will be broadcast via a live audio feed available on the NEB's website at www.neb-one.gc.ca/TransMountainExpansion and a transcript will be posted on our website.

The National Energy Board is an independent federal regulator of several parts of Canada's energy industry with the safety of Canadians and protection of the environment as its top priority. Its purpose is to regulate pipelines, energy development and trade in the Canadian public interest. For more information on the NEB and its mandate, please visit www.neb-one.gc.ca.

SOURCE: National Energy Board

Sarah Kiley ([email protected]), Communications Officer, Telephone: [phone], TTY (teletype): 1-800-632-1663