8-K

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
                             Washington, D.C. 20549

                                    FORM 8-K



               Current Report Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of
                           the Securities Act of 1934





       Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): DECEMBER 9, 2002





                         NORTHERN BORDER PARTNERS, L.P.
             (Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)





          DELAWARE                      1-12202                  93-1120873
(State or other jurisdiction          (Commission             (I.R.S. Employer
     of incorporation)                File Number)           Identification No.)



            13710 FNB PARKWAY                                    68154-5200
             OMAHA, NEBRASKA                                     (Zip Code)
(Address of principal executive offices)




                                 (402) 492-4300
              (Registrant's telephone number, including area code)

ITEM 9.  REGULATION FD DISCLOSURE

         Attached as Exhibit 99.1 is a copy of a press release, dated December
9, 2002, issued by Northern Border Partners, L.P. announcing a presentation to
be made by Bill Cordes, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, at the Wachovia
Pipeline Conference, on December 10,2002, which presentation will include
information regarding Northern Border Partner's performance, strategy and
outlook. The press release includes information regarding the Partnership's
outlook that will be included in the presentation. The attached Exhibit 99.1 is
not filed but is furnished to comply with Regulation FD. In accordance with
General Instruction B.2. of Form 8-K, information filed under this Item 9 of
Form 8-K is not deemed "filed" for purposes of Section 18 of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, is not subject to the liabilities of that
section and is not deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the
Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

                                   SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned thereunto duly authorized.

                                        Northern Border Partners, L.P.
                                        (A Delaware Limited Partnership)



Dated:  December 9, 2002                By:  /s/ Jerry L. Peters
                                            ------------------------------------
                                            Chief Financial & Accounting Officer

                                 EXHIBIT INDEX


      Exhibit 99.1 -- Northern Border Partners, L.P. Press Release dated
                      December 9, 2002.

EX-99.1

                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1


Northern Border                         News
Partners, L.P.                          Release 13710 FNB Parkway
                                                Omaha, Nebraska 68154-5200
                                        For Further Information
                                        Contact:

                                        Media Contact:
                                        Beth Jensen
                                        (402) 492-3400

                                        Investor Contact:
                                        Ellen Konsdorf
                                        (402) 492-7500

NORTHERN BORDER PARTNERS, L.P. TO PRESENT
AT WACHOVIA PIPELINE CONFERENCE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, December 9, 2002

                  OMAHA - Northern Border Partners, L.P. (NYSE - NBP) announced
that Bill Cordes, chairman and chief executive officer, will present at the
Wachovia Pipeline Conference on Tuesday, December 10, 2002 in New York. The
presentation will include information concerning Northern Border Partners'
performance, strategy and outlook. The Partnership will also meet with analysts
while in New York, and will discuss with them the presentation information.
         While in New York, the Partnership intends to confirm its 2002 earnings
guidance of $330 million EBITDA, net income of $120 million, and earnings per
unit of $2.60. It will also confirm 2003 guidance of at least $330 million
EBITDA, at least $120 million of net income, and earnings per unit of at least
$2.60. In addition, the Partnership will confirm its earlier guidance of at
least an additional $22 million to $23 million EBITDA and $0.10 accretion in
distributable cash flow per unit for 2003 as the expected impact of the pending
acquisition of Viking Gas Transmission Company and its one-third interest in
Guardian Pipeline. If that pending acquisition occurs by year-end 2002, the
Partnership anticipates that its year-end ratio of debt to total capitalization
will be 55.8%.
         A copy of the slide presentation will be available on the Northern
Border Partners web site (www.northernborderpartners.com) beginning December 9.
         Northern Border Partners, L.P. owns a 70 percent general partner
interest in Northern Border Pipeline Company, which owns a 1,249-mile interstate
pipeline system that transports natural gas from the Montana-Saskatchewan border
to markets in the midwestern United States. Additionally, the Partnership owns
the 350-mile long Midwestern Gas Transmission system, which stretches from
Portland, Tennessee to Joliet, Illinois. The Partnership also has gathering
systems and processing plants in the Powder River, Wind River, and Williston
Basins in the U. S.; owns and operates processing plants and gathering pipelines
in Alberta, Canada; and transports coal-water slurry via a pipeline in the
southwestern U. S. Northern Border Partners information may be found at
http://www.northernborderpartners.com/.

This press release includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of
Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934. Although Northern Border Partners, L.P. believes that its
expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, it can give no assurance that
such expectations will be achieved. Important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements
include natural gas development in the Powder River, Wind River, Williston and
Western Canadian Sedimentary Basins; regulatory actions and receipt of expected
regulatory clearances; competitive conditions in the overall natural gas and
electricity markets; our ability to market pipeline capacity on favorable terms;
prices of natural gas and natural gas liquids; developments in the voluntary
petition for bankruptcy by Enron; approval of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act filing
by the Federal Trade Commission; the delay of Guardian Pipeline's in-service
date and any cost overruns; and conditions in the capital markets and our
ability to access the capital markets.