CALGARY – The National Energy Board says it has doubled funding to $10 million help interveners participate in the Energy East pipeline hearings.

The NEB says it’s the largest amount ever set aside by the board through its participant funding program as it looks to conduct a more engaged hearing process.

The Energy East panel will hear from 337 interveners and 271 commenters, while those not granted participation rights will be able to share their views through expanded public engagement activities.

The hearings will take place in 10 locations in New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta, starting on Aug. 8 in Saint John, N.B., and wrapping up in December in Kingston, Ont.

The NEB says there were 2,652 applications to participate in the hearings, of which over 100 were duplicates and another 1,450 were submissions of a form letter about climate change and upstream greenhouse gas emissions.

It says Environment and Climate Change Canada will be the body assessing the potential upstream emissions of TransCanada Corp.’s (TSX:TRP) proposed 4,500-kilometre pipeline, which aims to ship 1.1 million barrels a day of Alberta and Saskatchewan crude to refineries in Eastern Canada and an export terminal in New Brunswick.