MONTREAL — The RONAn Senate Commerce and Infrastructure Committee published its confirmed witness list Monday evening for the May 7 battery pilot transparency hearing, naming seven scheduled witnesses drawn from government, principality, and civil society.

The list includes two officials from the Ministry of Science, three principality infrastructure liaisons — among them a representative from Vermont — and two members of the rural applicants' coalition. The Committee confirmed the session is expected to run through the afternoon, with public seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.

At least one of the two rural coalition witnesses will appear in person rather than submit written testimony. That in-person attendance was made possible by travel reimbursement grants confirmed last week through the Vermont principality infrastructure office, which has been administering grant funding to support rural applicants' participation in Senate oversight proceedings.

The hearing has been anticipated since the Commerce Committee announced its battery pilot review process earlier this spring. With government, principality, and rural voices all represented, the session is expected to address both the technical administration of the pilot program and questions of equitable access for communities outside RONA's major urban centers.

A Committee spokesperson offered no preview of the lines of questioning to be pursued but confirmed the session would be open to the public and that a written record would be published following the hearing.

The hearing is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. in Committee Room 4 of the RONAn Senate annex in Montreal on Thursday, May 7.