The news came from Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, who said in a release that FERC officials told her TransCanada had just submitted an electronic request to pre-file for its natural gas pipeline project. McGuire, chair of the Alaska Senate Energy Committee, was in Washington, D.C., for meetings with energy officials.

Tony Palmer, TransCanada Alaska president, confirmed the pre-filing.

TransCanada “pre-filed this morning,” Palmer told Petroleum News.

TransCanada Alaska received the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act license for its project from the state last year and Palmer said the schedule in the AGIA license the company received last year showed a 2011 pre-filing date.

“That has been moved up to today,” he said, but other dates in the schedule remain unchanged.

See full story in April 26 issue, available online Friday, April 24, at www.PetroleumNews.com