More than 1,500 Indigenous people worked on replacing Line 3 in the U.S. and Canada

Image

Enbridge Centre in Edmonton, Alberta. (Credit: Adam Scolin/Wikipedia.)

Enbridge Inc. (Enbridge or the Company) (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB) announced today the achievement of a major milestone with the substantial completion of the Line 3 Replacement Project and the establishment of an in-service date of October 1. This step marks the full replacement of the entire 1,765-kilometre/1,097-mile-long pipeline from Edmonton, AB. to Superior, WI. With new state-of-the-art, thicker-walled pipe, its completion ensures a safe, reliable supply of North American crude oil to U.S. refineries, helping fuel the quality of life for millions of people.

“After more than eight years of many people working together, extensive community engagement, and thorough environmental, regulatory and legal review, we are pleased that Line 3 is complete and will soon deliver the low cost and reliable energy that people depend on every day,” said Al Monaco, Enbridge President and Chief Executive Officer. “From day one, this project has been about modernizing our system and improving safety and reliability for the benefit of communities, the environment and our customers.

“Line 3 was developed and executed with the most state-of-the-art approach to design, construction and environmental management,” Monaco added. “We’re also very proud of the relationship of trust we’ve built with communities along the right-of-way in both Canada and the United States. Our goal is to continuously live up to the trust that all of our stakeholders have placed in us.”

The new 542-kilometre/337-mile Minnesota segment of Line 3, which follows other segments already placed into service in Canada, North Dakota and Wisconsin, restores the full pipeline capacity of 760,000 barrels per day to meet the energy needs of refineries in the Midwest. Many labor groups, including the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA), United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters (UA), and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, and communities along the right-of-way made the successful completion of the project possible.

In Minnesota, the Line 3 replacement was the most studied pipeline project in state history, with input gathered from 71 public comment regulatory meetings and over 3,500 community engagement meetings. Exhaustive scientific review exceeding legal and regulatory requirements resulted in support and project approvals from federal, state, and local agencies, and Native American tribes.

More than 1,500 Indigenous people worked on replacing Line 3 in the U.S. and Canada. Specifically, in Minnesota, where Native Americans made up seven percent of the Line 3 workforce, over US$300 million went directly to Native-owned contractors, tribal community investments and training and hiring Native individuals. In total, the Company invested CDN$750 million with Indigenous communities, individuals, and businesses.

Throughout the project, Enbridge has shown continuous respect for tribal sovereignty. In Minnesota, 30 tribes took part in the consultation process with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project included a first-of-its kind Tribal Cultural Resource Survey led by the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa which employed tribal cultural experts who walked the full route identifying and recording significant cultural resources to be avoided. Construction was completed under the supervision of tribal monitors with authority to stop construction to ensure protection of important cultural resources.

Source: Company Press Release