Enbridge Rejects State's Notice on Easement,
Says State's Action is Unlawful
CALGARY,
AB and LANSING, Mich., Jan. 12,
2021 /CNW/ - Today Enbridge Inc. (TSX: ENB) (NYSE: ENB)
(Enbridge or the company) responded to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer's attempt to terminate an
easement that has been in place since 1953 and thereby close
Enbridge's Line 5 dual pipelines located in that easement. Line 5
enables the safe transport of fuel to heat homes and provides
energy to Michigan, neighboring
U.S. states and Canada's two
largest provinces.
In a letter responding to the State's November 13 notice, Vern
Yu, Enbridge Executive Vice President and President, Liquids
Pipelines, wrote, "Our dual lines in the Straits are safe and in
full compliance with the federal pipeline safety standards that
govern them."
Both lines were reviewed and approved for operation by the
Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) back
in June and September of 2020.
Mr. Yu further stated that Enbridge has no intention of shutting
down the pipelines based on the State's unspecified allegations and
its violation of federal law.
The company has requested that the
United States District Court dismiss the State of Michigan's action in that the
revocation of the easement is contrary to federal law and that
pipeline safety resides with the federal Pipeline Safety Act and
its enforcement is the responsibility of an expert federal agency
(PHMSA).
"The Notice ignores scientific evidence and is based on
inaccurate and outdated information," Mr. Yu wrote of the State's
action.
Repeated offers by Enbridge over the past year to meet with
State officials to discuss pipeline issues of concern to the State,
provide technical information and discuss matters that might be
helpful to the State's review of the easement were consistently
ignored and dismissed. Consequently, the State made its claim
on ill-informed, inaccurate, out of date and unsupportable
opinion.
In his letter, Mr. Yu wrote that the State acted unlawfully in
issuing the Notice to revoke and terminate the 1953 easement by
attempting to upend federal jurisdiction.
Enbridge's response further underscores that the Governor and
the DNR Director cannot disregard Michigan laws authorizing the original 1953
easement and the replacement tunnel, nor displace PHMSA, the
federal agency responsible for the safety of interstate pipelines.
The company, consistent with the past, is offering to meet with the
State to resolve any differences.
"In the meantime, the dual pipelines will continue to operate
safely until they are replaced on completion of the Tunnel
Project," wrote Vern Yu.
Residents, businesses and refineries throughout Michigan, other Great Lakes states and
Canada's two largest provinces –
Ontario and Quebec – rely on the safe transportation of
oil, propane and other product through the dual pipelines. Enbridge
looks forward to continuing to provide this critical source of
energy while focusing on plans to construct the Great Lakes Tunnel
as another measure to enhance safe operation of the dual
pipelines.
To view Mr. Yu's letter, please click here.
Forward Looking Information
Forward-looking information, or forward-looking statements,
have been included in this news release to provide information
about Enbridge Inc. ("Enbridge" or the "Company") and its
subsidiaries and affiliates, including management's assessment of
Enbridge and its subsidiaries' future plans and operations. This
information may not be appropriate for other purposes.
Forward-looking statements are typically identified by words such
as ''anticipate'', ''expect'', ''project'', ''estimate'',
''forecast'', ''plan'', ''intend'', ''target'', ''believe'',
"likely" and similar words suggesting future outcomes or statements
regarding an outlook. Forward-looking information or statements in
this news release include statements with respect to the Line 5
dual pipelines, including the continued safe operations thereof,
the State of Michigan's
November 13 notice, litigation and
government and regulatory actions with respect
thereto.
Although Enbridge believes these forward-looking statements
are reasonable based on the information available on the date such
statements are made and processes used to prepare the information,
such statements are not guarantees of future performance and
readers are cautioned against placing undue reliance on
forward-looking statements. By their nature, these statements
involve a variety of assumptions, known and unknown risks and
uncertainties and other factors, which may cause actual results,
levels of activity and achievements to differ materially from those
expressed or implied by such statements. Assumptions regarding the
expected supply of and demand for crude oil, natural gas, NGL and
renewable energy, and the prices of these commodities, are material
to and underlie all forward-looking statements, as they may impact
current and future levels of demand for the Company's services.
Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic, exchange rates, inflation and
interest rates impact the economies and business environments in
which the Company operates and may impact levels of demand for the
Company's services and cost of inputs and are therefore inherent in
all forward-looking statements. Due to the interdependencies and
correlation of these macroeconomic factors, the impact of any one
assumption on a forward-looking statement cannot be determined with
certainty. The most relevant assumptions associated with
forward-looking statements in this news release with regards to the
Line 5 dual pipelines include the impact of government and
regulatory actions, approvals and litigation on ongoing and future
operations.
Enbridge's forward-looking statements are subject to risks
and uncertainties, including, but not limited to those risks and
uncertainties discussed in this news release and in the Company's
other filings with Canadian and United States securities
regulators. The impact of any one risk, uncertainty or factor on a
particular forward-looking statement is not determinable with
certainty as these are interdependent and Enbridge's future course
of action depends on management's assessment of all information
available at the relevant time. Except to the extent required by
applicable law, Enbridge assumes no obligation to publicly update
or revise any forward-looking statements made in this news release
or otherwise, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise. All subsequent forward-looking statements, whether
written or oral, attributable to Enbridge or persons acting on the
Company's behalf, are expressly qualified in their entirety by
these cautionary statements.
About Enbridge Inc.
Enbridge Inc. is a leading North American energy infrastructure
company. We safely and reliably deliver the energy people need and
want to fuel quality of life. Our core businesses include Liquids
Pipelines, which transports approximately 25 percent of the crude
oil produced in North America; Gas
Transmission and Midstream, which transports approximately 20
percent of the natural gas consumed in the U.S.; Gas Distribution
and Storage, which serves approximately 3.8 million retail
customers in Ontario and
Quebec; and Renewable Power
Generation, which generates approximately 1,750 MW of net renewable
power in North America and
Europe. The Company's common
shares trade on the Toronto and
New York stock exchanges under the
symbol ENB. For more information, visit www.enbridge.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Media
Toll Free: (888) 992-0997
Email: media@enbridge.com
Investment Community
Toll Free: (800) 481-2804
Email: investor.relations@enbridge.com
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content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/michigan-governors-attempt-to-revoke-line-5-easement-is-unlawful-and-ignores-science-and-evidence-301205820.html
SOURCE Enbridge Inc.