- Canada's government says it will give the National Energy Board until next year to deliver up-to-date guidelines for oil pipeline companies to improve safety and protect the environment.
- The instructions coincide with several major pipeline expansion projects proposed in Canada by companies such as Kinder Morgan (NYSE:KMI), Enbridge (NYSE:ENB) and TransCanada (NYSE:TRP).
- The Conservative government has promoted expansion of the oil and gas industry, pledging to make the country an "energy superpower."
- Meanwhile, the NEB reportedly is investigating up to a dozen new allegations of natural gas pipeline safety code violations at TRP, which would mark the second time in recent years the regulator has probed safety practices at TRP following complaints by a whistleblower.