Kinder Morgan Halts Most Work on Disputed Canada Pipeline
Kinder Morgan Canada on Sunday suspended most work on a C$7.4 billion ($5.8 billion) oil pipeline expansion that has become the focus of protests, a move underscoring uncertainty over major energy projects in Canada. Company Chairman Steve Kean said he would scrap plans to nearly triple the capacity of the Trans Mountain pipeline, which takes crude from Alberta's oil sands to a facility in the Pacific province of British Columbia, unless the various legal challenges could be resolved by May 31. The announcement was a blow to the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which approved the project and says it is in the national interest.
Canada Mulls Single Body to Assess Pipelines
Canada needs a single federal authority to assess the potential impact of major projects such oil pipelines and mines, a move that could help quell environmental protests, an official panel said on Wednesday. Responsibility for examining the potential impact of projects on federally-regulated land in Canada is shared between three separate entities, a much-criticised system that the Liberal government says the public does not trust. Protracted protests last year forced Ottawa to veto one major pipeline from Alberta's oil sands to the Pacific Coast and are dragging out study of another line to the Atlantic.
Canada to Restart Review of Energy East Pipeline
Canada's energy regulator on Friday scrapped a partially completed hearing into TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline and said the process would start again from the beginning. The National Energy Board said in a statement that the new panel examining the project would decide how to proceed. The previous panel stepped down last year after it was revealed that members had met privately with a TransCanada consultant. (Reporting by David Ljunggren)
Energy East Pipeline woes Worry Canada's Atlantic Coast
For years, heavy equipment operator Ashley Underhill has tried to defy the notion that one could only make a good living in Canada's poorer east coast by spending most of the time away from the family in the nation's western oil patch. One reason Underhill had battled on, working on small private contracts, including snow clearing and wood cutting, was Energy East, a planned 4,600-km (2860-mile) pipeline between Alberta's oil sands and the east coast and the promise of an economic boost it could bring. But the approval for two western pipelines last month dimmed Energy East's prospects and now Underhill is looking to work in the oil sands in western Canada.
Canada Indicates it Won't Demand Regulator Change Pipeline Panel
Canada on Friday indicated it would not press the country's energy regulator to remove members from a panel looking into Transcanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline despite protests over their actions. Energy Minister Jim Carr told reporters the National Energy Board should decide the fate of the three-person panel. Critics want two members to quit after it emerged they had privately discussed the project with former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who at the time was working for TransCanada as a consultant. (Reporting by David Ljunggren)
TransCanada Pipeline Approval Hearing Suspended
Canada's National Energy Board on Tuesday suspended Montreal hearings on TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline for the rest of the week after protests disrupted the first day on Monday. The board, Canada's energy regulator, also said in a statement it would not proceed with further sessions until it had considered two motions asking for the recusal of members from the panel considering the pipeline. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Alberta Premier: Canada PM "Aligned" on Pipeline Policy
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet are broadly "aligned" with Alberta and the need to develop pipelines to get the region's oil to market, the leader of the province said on Sunday. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said she had emerged from a meeting with Trudeau and his cabinet with the feeling they were on the same page about pipelines and environmental concerns. The left-leaning New Democrat leader is lobbying Trudeau's Liberal government to approve TransCanada Corp's Energy East pipeline project in the event it clears the National Energy Board's review, which is underway.
Quebec Gov't Files Injunction Against Energy East Pipeline
The Canadian province of Quebec said on Tuesday it would seek an injunction against TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline, saying the Quebec portion of the project had to be evaluated under provincial law. TransCanada says the pipeline is subject to federal regulations, not those of Quebec. The legal move represents another challenge for Energy East, which would take up to 1.1 million barrels of oil per day from Alberta and Saskatchewan to Canada's east coast. (Reporting by Allison Lampert)
TransCanada Needs to do More to Get Energy East Permit
TransCanada Corp must "do its homework" and meet a number of conditions to stand any chance of being allowed to build its proposed Energy East pipeline in the province of Quebec, a senior official said on Friday. Quebec Environment Minister David Heurtel told reporters after a meeting in Ottawa that he hoped TransCanada would "collaborate extensively" with the conditions. (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Chris Reese)
Canada Extends Decision Period for Oil Pipelines
The Canadian government announced an extension of time for reviewing and deciding on whether to let two key crude oil pipelines go ahead, in an attempt to spur deeper consultations and an assessment of greenhouse gas emissions. The interim rules are designed to take greater account of environmental impacts and indigenous groups' points of view for the two pipelines, which are opposed by environmentalists and some communities but backed by industry. It pushes back the deadline for the government to decide on Kinder Morgan Inc's plan to twin its Trans Mountain Pipeline to December 2016 from August 2016, signaling that the review by the National Energy Board (NEB) will still be due by May.
Canada to Set New Rules for Energy Reviews
The Canadian government will unveil new rules for environmental reviews of major energy projects later on Wednesday, Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr told reporters. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that regulators will have to take into account greenhouse gas emissions when they evaluate projects such as TransCanada Corp's Energy East pipeline to the East Coast. The announcement would be made after markets close, an official said. It would give details on the framework to be used by the National Energy Board and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency, which covers the Petronas-led Pacific NorthWest LNG export terminal.
TransCanada Launches Oil Trading Group
Canadian pipeline operator TransCanada Corp has started trading oil through a new liquids trading group based in Calgary, Alberta, a spokesman for the company confirmed on Friday. TransCanada, which already operates a regulated power trading and marketing group based in Westborough, Massachusetts, has eyed a liquids group for more than a year now. Although a spokesman for the company did not provide details related to its trading operations, Chief Executive Officer Russ Girling in an earlier interview with Reuters said the group would trade all grades of Canadian and U.S. crude along its network, which runs from Alberta and to the U.S. Gulf Coast.
Montreal Area Mayors to Oppose Energy East Pipeline
The influential mayor of Montreal and other local municipal leaders will on Thursday announce their formal opposition to TransCanada Corp's proposed Energy East pipeline, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp said. Energy East, which would take oil from Alberta and Saskatchewan to the east coast, is running into increasing political problems as environmental and aboriginal groups ramp up protests against the project. (Reporting by David Ljunggren)
TransCanada sues U.S. over Keystone Rejection
TransCanada Corp sued the U.S government on Wednesday to reverse President Barack Obama's rejection of the Keystone XL pipeline, and also plans to seek $15 billion in damages from a trade tribunal. TranCanada's lawsuit in a federal court in Houston, Texas, called rejection of its permit to build the pipeline unconstitutional. The company's U.S. lawsuit does not seek monetary damages but wants the permit denial invalidated and seeks a ruling that no future president can block construction. Its request for $15 billion under NAFTA reflects its desire to recover its investment in the pipeline. Defendants in the Houston lawsuit are U.S.
TransCanada to Build Only One Energy East Export Terminal
TransCanada Corp scrapped plans to build a port in Quebec and said on Thursday it will have only one export terminal for its Energy East pipeline project. The 1.1 million barrel-per-day Energy East project will carry crude from Alberta across Canada to New Brunswick. Calgary-based TransCanada had originally planned to build two ports for shipping crude overseas - one at the pipeline terminus in St John, New Brunswick, and the other in Cacouna, Quebec. However, the company abandoned the Cacouna location in April after environmentalists raised concerns about the impact on beluga whales in the St. Lawrence River.
TransCanada Close to Choosing Energy East Export Terminal
Pipeline company TransCanada Corp said on Tuesday it is very close to reaching a decision on an alternate crude oil export port for the Energy East pipeline after a proposed terminal in Quebec was cancelled earlier this year. TransCanada will also have a terminal at the pipeline terminus in Saint John, New Brunswick. (Reporting by Nia Williams; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)
Keystone XL Pipeline Prospects Dimming
Faced with dimming prospects for approval, the Canadian company behind the proposed Keystone XL pipeline chose to plead with the U.S. government for a delay on its fate, signaling that prolonged uncertainty is preferable to rejection of the $8 billion project. Monday's appeal by Calgary-based TransCanada Corp has been widely interpreted as an attempt to avert an impending "no" from President Barack Obama to the nearly 1,200-mile (2,000-km) cross-border pipeline. Keystone XL would carry heavy crude oil from Alberta to Nebraska and on to Gulf Coast refineries…
TransCanada to Cut More Management Jobs
Pipeline company TransCanada Corp has announced new job cuts, eliminating about 20 percent of its directors as slumping oil prices continue to take their toll on its customers, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The company, which is proposing the Keystone XL and Energy East pipeline projects, said the latest cuts affect about 30 directors. This follows an announcement in September to eliminate 20 percent of its senior leadership positions at the vice-president level and above. (Reporting By Mike De Souza)
Alberta's Possible Pivot to Left Alarms Oil Sector
CALGARY, Alberta, May 4 (Reuters) - Canada's oil-rich province of Alberta is on the cusp of electing a left-wing government that can make life harder for the energy industry with its plans to raise taxes, end support for key pipeline projects and seek a bigger cut of oil revenues. Polls suggest Tuesday's election is set to end the Conservative's 44-year reign in the province that boasts the world's third-largest proven oil reserves and now faces recession because of the slide in crude prices. Surveys have proven wrong in Canadian provincial elections before and voters may end up merely downgrading the Conservatives' grip on power to a minority government.
TransCanada to Cut 20% of Senior Management Positions
Pipeline company TransCanada Corp will cut 20 percent of its senior management positions as a continuing slump in oil prices has necessitated cost reductions, with further staff cuts possible in the future, a company spokesman said on Thursday. The company behind the Keystone XL and Energy East pipeline projects said staff were informed Monday about the cuts, which would be implemented over the next several months. "We don't have an exact number for reductions at the senior level as the process is continuing but when transitions out of the company and retirements are complete…
