ST. PAUL, Minn. – State investigators fined giant Canadian pipeline operator $11 million for either sloppiness or negligence for oil spills and water usurpation near Chippewa Indian lands. Enbridge responded that it accepted the fine and promised to be more careful in the future. To Enbridge, with $50 billion revenue a year, the fine was inconsequential. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Department of Natural Resources saidn. that Enbridge violated regulations when it discharged construction storm water into wetlands and also released drilling mud into surface water at 12 locations during construction of its Line 3 in gthe summer of 2021. Of ghe $11 million fine, $7.5 million is earmarked for environmental and resource enhancement projects.
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Embridge mea culpa: “Enbridge, with the support of union and tribal contractors, implemented strong environmental safeguards and protections to meet these regulatory requirements and protect natural resources. This included construction oversight by agency and tribal monitors with the authority to stop construction at any time.”
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Katrina Kessler, Minnesota pollution control commissioner: “At the start of this project the MPCA issued our most stringent water quality certification to date and permits that were strong, enforceable, and protective — and this enforcement action holds Enbridge accountable for the violations that occurred during construction.”