The National Energy Board (NEB) hearings on the Energy East project in Montreal have been postponed for a second day after protesters forced the cancellation of Monday’s proceedings.
READ MORE: Energy East pipeline: National Energy Board has 21 months for review
Three people were arrested during what the board called a “violent disruption.”
READ MORE: Energy East review heads to hostile territory
One man charged at three NEB commissioners just minutes before the hearings were set to begin and screamed “TransCanada will not pass” as he was led away by security officers.
A 44-year-old man and 29-year-old woman were charged with obstruction and released, while a 35-year-old man was charged with obstruction and assaulting a police officer.
READ MORE: Protesters dragged away, Montreal Energy East hearings cancelled for the day
Montreal mayor Denis Coderre, along with the mayor of Laval and other municipal representatives, walked out of the hearings not long after the demonstrators charged in.
Coderre and many provincial politicians and First Nations groups oppose TransCanada’s project to transport crude oil from Alberta to New Brunswick.
The hearings are set for this week in Montreal before moving to Quebec City the week of Oct. 3.
The board plan to release details Tuesday on its plans for the next meeting in Montreal.
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What is the Energy East project?
The Energy East project is a 4,500-kilometre pipeline that would see crude oil transported from Alberta to Eastern Canada.
It has become controversial in Quebec, with many politicians and activists coming out against the project due to environmental concerns.
Meanwhile, the oil industry, along with the premiers of Alberta, Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, have come out staunchly in favour.
READ MORE: Energy East pipeline gets support from Quebec businesses, unions
The review will factor in greenhouse gas emissions caused by the construction of the project, but potential upstream emissions will be left to Environment and Climate Change Canada to tally and for the federal cabinet to factor into its final decision.
The Energy East pipeline would open new markets for Canadian oil by carrying 1.1 million barrels of Alberta and Saskatchewan crude to refineries in Eastern Canada and an export terminal in New Brunswick.
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