CALGARY, AB and
DULUTH, MN, June 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ - On February 26, 2020 the Minnesota Pollution Control
Agency (MPCA) issued the draft 401 Water Quality Certificate permit
for the Line 3 Replacement Project. Following a public comment
period, the MPCA announced today that it will conduct a contested
case hearing regarding the 401 permit.
The timeline for the contested case hearing will be established
after an Administrative Law Judge is assigned to the case.
While the MPCA previously stated its intention to meet the US
Army Corps of Engineers' August 15,
2020 deadline, that date has been extended to November 14, 2020 which is within the one-year
anniversary of our application, as required by statute.
Enbridge Inc. (NYSE: ENB) (TSX: ENB) will continue to work
with other permitting agencies towards the timely issuance of the
remaining permits in order to allow for the start of construction
before year end 2020. We now expect the majority of the
remaining US$1.5 billion of capital
spending to occur in 2021, with spending related to early
construction preparation in 2020. The company will continue to
advance pre-construction activities, to ensure an efficient
schedule is maintained.
"While the contested case has caused a delay to the permitting
process, we believe this additional step will strengthen the MPCA's
decision record," said Vern Yu,
President of Liquids Pipelines. "We have planned for various
permitting scenarios with the objective of accelerating and
completing construction of this important safety and maintenance
driven project within six to nine months after we receive final
permits."
Enbridge's Line 3 Replacement Project is the most studied
pipeline in Minnesota's history.
It has already undergone an extensive contested case hearing
process lasting nearly five years as part of the Minnesota Public
Utilities Commission's review and approval of the project. There
have been numerous public comment opportunities both written and
in-person, including 70 public meetings. The Project's
Environmental Impact Statement, Certificate of Need and Route
Permit were re-approved by the Commission on February 4, 2020. In addition, Enbridge has
agreed to numerous permit conditions, as a result of stakeholder
input during the process, and we have committed to spend
US$100 million on Tribal business and
employment.
This project is immediately poised to provide significant
economic benefits for counties, small businesses, Native American
communities, and union members. Line 3 is a shovel ready
US$2.9 billion private investment
that will bring 4,200 family-sustaining construction jobs, millions
of dollars in local spending and tax revenues at a time when
Northern Minnesota needs it
most.
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 3 Replacement Project and expected regulatory and
permitting actions and decisions, capital expenditures,
construction schedules and anticipated economic benefits.
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 on announced projects and projects under
construction such as the Line 3 Replacement Project, including
estimated completion dates and expected capital expenditures,
include the following: the COVID-19 pandemic and the duration and
impact thereof; the impact of customer, government and regulatory
approvals on construction and in-service schedules and cost
recovery regimes; the availability and price of
labour and construction materials; the effects of inflation and
foreign exchange rates on labour and material costs; the effects of
interest rates on borrowing costs; and the impact of
weather.
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.; and Utilities and Power Operations, which
serves approximately 3.7 million retail customers
in Ontario and Quebec,
and 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
Juli Kellner
Toll Free: (888) 992-0997
Email: media@enbridge.com
Investment Community
Jonathan
Morgan
Toll Free: (800) 481-2804
Email: investor.relations@enbridge.com
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SOURCE Enbridge Inc.