NEB reviewers for Energy East pipeline hearing step down

• The three top National Energy Board reviewers overseeing publ i c hearings for the proposed Energy East pipeline stepped down Friday amid allegations the panel’s decision- making process had been irreparably tarnished.

The Calgary- based NEB s ai d t hat Jacques Gaut hier, Lyne Mercier and Roland George all permanently recused themselves from the review, saying in a statement it could potentially “damage perceptions around the integrity of the process if they remained in their positions.”

“It was their belief that this was the right thing to do,” said Sarah Kiley, a spokeswoman for the NEB.

The board also said its chairman, Peter Watson, and vice- chair Lyne Mercier have recused themselves from any decision- making responsibilities in appointing new panel members before hearings resume on TransCanada Corp.’s proposed pipeline. No timeline has yet been set for the ap- pointment.

Skepticism over t he credibility of the hearings emerged after media reports revealed that Watson and two of the panellists had met in private before the hearings with former Quebec premier Jean Charest, who was a paid lobbyist for TransCanada at the time.

The NEB initially denied the claims, but they were later verified.

“What I can say is that they carried out these meetings truly with the best intentions,” Kiley said.

Public hearings were postponed late last month in Montreal after protesters interrupted the proceedings, causing Montreal Mayor Denis Coderre to cancel his statements on the project. Coderre had long been calling for a postponement to the hearings, saying there was a “major perception problem” for the project.

The Energy East pipeline would ship up to 1.1 million barrels per day of crude from oilfields in Alberta and Saskatchewan to refineries in Quebec and New Brunswick.