CALGARY, AB and LANSING, Mich., Nov.
24, 2020 /CNW/ - Today Enbridge Inc. (TSX:
ENB) (NYSE: ENB) (Enbridge or the Company) filed a federal
complaint in the United States
District Court for the Western District of Michigan seeking an injunction to stop the
State of Michigan from taking any
steps to prevent the operation of Line 5. The attempt to shut down
Line 5 interferes with the comprehensive federal regulation of
pipeline safety and burdens interstate and foreign commerce in
clear violation of federal law and the US Constitution. Enbridge is
also today moving the complaint filed by the State against Line 5
on November 13 in Michigan state court to the Federal Court.
A federal agency, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety
Administration (PHMSA), is Enbridge's safety regulator, not the
State of Michigan. In fact, only
three months ago the safety of the Dual Pipelines was reviewed by
our regulator and the Pipelines were found to be fit for
service. The State's attempt to assume the role of safety
regulator through its notice purporting to "terminate and revoke"
the easement is improper and unlawful.
This is the latest attempt by the State of Michigan to interfere with the
operation of this critical infrastructure by assuming authority it
does not possess. By contrast, Enbridge continues to live up to all
its obligations under its agreements with the State of Michigan. Notably, Enbridge has
undertaken a variety of Line 5 projects requested by the State at
substantial expense, including installing a new Line 5 crossing
under the St. Clair River earlier this year and diligently pursuing
permitting for the Great Lakes tunnel project at no cost to
taxpayers.
"In the face of continued roadblocks by this Administration it's
time for the State to stop playing politics with the energy needs
and anxieties of US and Canadian consumers and businesses that
depend on Line 5," said Vern Yu,
Executive Vice President and President, Liquids Pipelines. "It is
concerning to see the current Administration is willing to
compromise these needs. We remain highly committed to protecting
the Great Lakes, the environment, and all the people who use these
waters while delivering energy that people rely on daily.
Enbridge's Line 5 has served Michiganders safely without spilling a
drop of oil at the Straits crossing for more than 65 years, over
nine different State Administrations."
A disruption of Line 5 would create a propane shortage, higher
energy prices and hardship for Michigan families, especially those on fixed
incomes or of modest means. It would also result in a daily
shortage of over 14 million gallons of gasoline and other
transportation fuels, impacting the entire region, including
Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario, and Quebec. Ten regional refineries would be
significantly and adversely impacted. Some of these refineries
served by Line 5 also supply a large percentage of the aviation
fuel at Detroit's Metropolitan
Airport.
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 safe operations thereof, litigation
and anticipated impact of any disruption to Line 5
operations.
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.; 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
Ryan Duffy
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.