Natural Gas Franchise Procedure Issued

The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board announced today that it has made regulations known as the Board Gas Distribution Regulations (Nova Scotia) and has issued a document entitled Directions on Procedure--First Franchise Hearing.

These documents together with the Gas Distribution Act passed by the legislature in 1997 and the Gas Distribution Act Regulations (Nova Scotia) issued by the Governor in Council on Nov. 10, 1998, provide the framework for the hearing of franchise applications.

The Utility and Review Board will receive applications for gas distribution franchises and will grant a franchise or franchises under the Gas Distribution Act. The granting of a franchise by the board is subject to the approval of the Governor in Council.

The Directions on Procedure advise that notices of applications for a franchise must be filed with the board by Dec. 15, 1998. Persons wishing to formally intervene in the proceeding must file a notice of intervention by Jan. 7, 1999. Complete applications must be filed by Jan. 29, 1999. Intervenor evidence or letters of comments on the franchise application are due March 19, 1999.

The hearing will begin April 12, 1999, and will be held in Halifax with a number of evening sessions for members of the public who wish to make presentations.

The hearing will be conducted in two phases. The first will consider applications for a franchise. The second phase will consider the general requirements for the issuance of licences to sell natural gas.

A member of the public can participate in a number of ways:

• as a full intervenor, which includes the rights and obligations as set out in the Directions on Procedure
• as a participant at the informal evening sessions to be held during the hearing
• by submitting a letter of comment concerning the filed franchise applications