The Regulatory Commission of Alaska, which is overseeing Hilcorp's purchase of BP's stake in the trans-Alaska pipeline, plans to hold a six-hour public hearing on the deal next month, denying a request by the companies to approve the transaction without one.
The commission announced the hearing Friday, saying it had received public comments both supporting the deal, and registering concerns.
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The hearing, scheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 4 in downtown Anchorage, will "allow additional comment on the applications," the RCA said in a one-page notice, signed by Chairman Robert Pickett.
BP and Hilcorp, in a written filing last month, had asked the RCA to approve the deal without holding a public hearing. The companies cited concerns about delays and said that the agency had not held hearings while scrutinizing other "major transactions."
A BP spokeswoman, Meg Baldino, declined to comment. Hilcorp officials didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.