TransCanada Corp ( TRP.TO ) plans to start preliminary work on its Keystone XL pipeline project in Montana in the fall of 2018 ahead of full construction in 2019, according to a letter from the U.S. State Department to Native American tribes. The letter, dated April 10, and seen by Reuters, states that the Assiniboine and Sioux tribes were being notified of the upcoming work as part of government consultation aimed at minimizing any adverse effect on their historic territory in northeast Montana. The 1,180-mile (1,899 km) Keystone XL pipeline project has been a lightning rod of controversy for a decade, hotly contested by environmentalists but desperately needed by Canadian oil producers who face steeper-than-normal crude price discounts due to transportation bottlenecks. Related […]