Energy East, the proposed 4,500-kilometre $15.7 billion pipeline that would carry more than a million barrels a day of Canadian crude from Alberta to refineries and an export terminal in St. John, will be reviewed once again by the Canadian National Energy Board.

Work on the troubled project has been delayed numerous times since it was publicly announced in 2013.

The board assigned three new panelists two weeks ago to replace original members who were forced to resign in September after it was revealed that they participated in private meetings in Quebec which included former premier Jean Charest, who was acting as a consultant for TransCanada.

Opponents of the pipeline project argued all decisions made by the original panel were tainted and threatened court challenges if the review did not start back at square one.

After making a completeness determination, the board has 21 months to prepare its recommendation to cabinet for a final decision on whether to approve the project.