VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – The Canadian federal government on Monday announced the appointment of three temporary members to the National Energy Board (NEB) to assist with the stalled application review of TransCanada Corp’s C$15.7-billion Energy East pipeline.

Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr announced the appointment of former New Brunswick public service executive Don Ferguson, Ontario-based consultant and accountant Carole Malo and Quebec-based lawyer and CE of independent advisory think tank Unisféra International Centre Marc Paquin to the NEB, noting that the new appointees are qualified to be considered by the NEB for assignment to the Energy East review panel.

“The NEB is responsible for reviewing important major energy projects. I am confident these three individuals and the skills they bring will ensure the NEB is properly equipped to carry out this important role,” Carr stated.

Under the NEB Act, the board chairperson or acting chairperson is responsible for assigning members to specific duties.

However, in September, the NEB announced that the three Energy East panellists had recused themselves following complaints that two of them met with former Quebec Premier Jean Charest, a paid agent for TransCanada at the time, in January 2015, to discuss the pipeline. They are still NEB board members and have since been reassigned to review other projects.

NEB chairperson and CEO Peter Watson also had to stand clear of the Energy East hearings, since he too attended the meetings with Charest. Board member David Hamilton was late last month assigned as CE for matters related to the Energy East review, with associate board member Philip Davies to act as an alternate to reconstitute the Energy East hearing panel.

The review, which began earlier this summer, is expected to be completed within 21 months, after which the government will make the ultimate decision on whether the oil pipeline from Alberta to New Brunswick will go ahead.

The NEB was forced to cancel the first day of Quebec hearings on TransCanada's Energy East pipeline on August 29, after protesters disrupted the panel session.

Environmental groups opposed to Canadian oil sands development have fought the 1.1-million-barrel-a-day Energy East pipeline. Opposition has been particularly strong in the French-speaking province of Quebec, which the pipeline would need to cross on its way to the coast. Opponents include Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, who has cited concerns that the route could endanger forest and agricultural land.