CALGARY,
AB and LANSING, Mich., Jan. 29,
2021 /CNW/ - The Michigan Department of Environment Great
Lakes and Energy (EGLE) has completed its review and has
issued permits for Enbridge's Great Lakes Tunnel Project to
relocate the portion of the Line 5 pipeline that runs along the
bottom of the Straits of Mackinac (where Lake Michigan and Lake Huron meet). This project will make
a safe pipeline even safer.
"These approvals bring us a step closer to building the Great
Lakes Tunnel," said Vern Yu,
Enbridge Executive Vice President and President, Liquid Pipelines.
"Line 5, encased in a tunnel below the lakebed, is the best way to
safeguard the precious waters of the Great Lakes and ensures that
low cost, safe and reliable energy keeps flowing to Michigan, neighboring states and Canada's two largest provinces."
The permits issued today do not resolve Governor Whitmer's
effort to shut down Line 5's current operations. Enbridge is
challenging those efforts in federal court. Such a shutdown
before the completion of the Great Lakes Tunnel Project would lead
to major energy shortages in the region and severe economic
consequences for Michigan,
neighboring states and Canada.
The EGLE permits are an important milestone for the tunnel
project and are part of the process to authorize its
construction. Permits from the Michigan Public Service
Commission and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers are still
required. The environmental permits issued today are
related to various parts of the Natural Resources and Environmental
Protection Act, the Clean Water Act and the National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System.
The Great Lakes Tunnel will encase a replacement section of Line
5 well below the lakebed, eliminating the risk of an anchor strike
and virtually eliminating the potential of any release from Line 5
into the Straits. Survey research has shown that a majority of
Michigan residents favor
construction of the Great Lakes Tunnel, which is why Enbridge is
investing approximately $500 million
to construct the tunnel.
EGLE approved the permits for the Great Lakes Tunnel Project
following a review of Enbridge's April
2020 application and after obtaining public input through
multiple public meetings, hearings, informational sessions and
webinars.
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 proposed Great Lakes Tunnel Project and its anticipated
benefits, and related litigation and government and regulatory
actions.
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 and the Great Lakes Tunnel Project 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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SOURCE Enbridge Inc.