The Financial Post reports in its Friday, Oct. 21, edition that oil sands producers are likely to face a pipeline shortage in coming years. The Post's Jesse Snyder writes that Calgary-based oil companies eagerly await Ottawa's decision on Kinder Morgan's proposed Trans Mountain pipeline. The National Energy Board approved the proposal with 157 conditions in May, and the federal government is expected to announce a final decision before Dec. 19. However, the construction of the pipeline would ultimately be cancelled out by the expected growth in oil sands production. GMP FirstEnergy director Martin King says, "If we are running out of pipe capacity by the end of 2018 or early 2019 because there is that growth, then nothing really changes -- we're still running out of available pipeline capacity to deal with that oil sands growth." The contentious politics surrounding pipelines has loomed over the Canadian energy sector for years, as fierce opposition to oil sands development hobbles major projects including Enbridge's Northern Gateway and TransCanada's Keystone XL. Those projects have either been delayed or outright rejected, and neither now shows little chance of being commissioned.