Two of North America's largest distributors of oil and natural gas say they have no concrete plans to build a pipeline to ship crude oil from western Canada to New Brunswick.

Earlier this week, both federal Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver and Premier David Alward hinted strongly that an application might come from Enbridge or TransCanada Pipeline Ltd.

But Enbridge said an east-west pipeline project is not in the works, while TransCanada said it's not close to making a pitch.

Enbridge said it is focusing on shipping oil by train to Philadelphia and has no plans to pipe any oil to New Brunswick.

"We do not have a project to New Brunswick and that's why we've emphasized, I think that, our beachhead into the east coast U.S. is [Philadelphia], is where we're going and that's our focus right now," Al Monaco, the president and chief executive officer of Enbridge, said on a conference call last week.

TransCanada said it is technically possible to convert one of its natural gas pipelines over to oil, which could get Alberta crude to Montreal.

But the company said it hasn't decided whether that makes commercial sense.

So at this point, the company said any talk of building a pipeline east of Quebec is just speculation.

Saint John-based Irving Oil Ltd. would benefit from a pipeline. Irving Oil Ltd. uses trains to deliver some western crude for refining in Saint John but it buys most of its supply on the often volatile foreign markets.

Barbara Pike, an energy analyst, said a pipeline from Alberta would reduce that risk.

"We are really held ransom in eastern Canada to oil prices from around the world when in fact, we are a huge producer, of natural resources, of oil and gas," Pike said.

Pike said the region could get a boost from pipeline construction and the Port of Saint John could benefit as an export point to overseas markets.

Politicians more confident

Natural Resources Minister Joe Oliver pitched the idea of an east-west pipeline during a speech in Saint John on Tuesday. (CBC)

While the companies are distancing themselves from the pipeline plan, politicians were sounding far more bullish earlier this week.

The federal natural resources minister said a west-to-east pipeline would be good for Canada and good for Saint John. But he said, the federal government won't build it.

Oliver said the push for the pipeline must come from the private sector.

"We understand that companies involved, Enbridge and possibly TransCanada Pipeline and others, have concluded there's an economic case to do it, therefore federal support is not needed," Oliver told a Saint John business audience earlier this week.

The premier also suggested that Enbridge or TransCanada might get involved:

"I am pleased that, as a government, we have been at the table, meeting with the producer groups and with groups such as TransCanada and Enbridge, as well, to speak to the importance of it," he said.