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Stakeholder Consultation
Enbridge engages in proactive public communication and consultation programs to support the unprecedented number of new construction projects we are undertaking in North America, whether the project is new pipe along a new or existing pipeline right-of-way, construction of a wind farm or new crude oil tanks, or the acquisition of land as we extend our pipeline system to new markets.
The names of Liquids Pipelines’ expansion projects – Southern Access, Southern Lights and Alberta Clipper – are well known to our employees and customers but less so to the landowners affected. With that in mind, we created in 2006 a unique website (www.enbridge-expansion.com) dedicated to information about the expansions in Canada and the United States that help landowners and all our stakeholders better understand the projects.
Southern Access
Southern Access is an expansion and extension of Enbridge’s existing pipeline system, including pump station modifications in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, and new pipeline running from northern Wisconsin through Illinois, to increase crude oil capacity to U.S. Midwest refineries and beyond. The program is planned in three stages to meet the needs of our shippers as they require more capacity.
In the United States, 216 kilometres (134 miles) of the more than 805-kilometre (500-mile) pipeline are in rural farming areas where no other pipelines are located. Consequently, landowners and local officials in these areas often have little prior knowledge of the pipeline industry.
We began construction of Stage 1 of Southern Access in Wisconsin in December 2006 to take advantage of winter weather to lessen temporary environmental impacts. In Stage 2, we will extend the pipeline from southern Wisconsin to the west Chicago area and then, in the final stage, we will extend the system along a new route to southern Illinois.
Through our land offices in central Wisconsin and northern and southern Illinois, we are engaged in extensive, ongoing stakeholder outreach. We are identifying and addressing issues early through face-to-face contact with landowners, meetings with local public officials, group meetings hosted by farm bureaus or environmental agencies, and daily phone calls to answer questions.
Enbridge developed an agricultural impact mitigation plan and, after agreement with the State of Illinois’ Department of Agriculture, developed a summary and “frequently asked questions” to address the issues that are most important to this region of large farming operations. Our public outreach plan also includes information briefings with state and federal legislators, who often tell us how helpful it is to receive information early about projects so that they can answer questions from local residents.
By getting out early with straightforward information about the project, learning of local issues and concerns so that we can address them quickly, and verifying stakeholders have access to experienced project team members, we have established good initial rapport with key stakeholders. This helps them understand the project, how they are impacted and how they can voice issues they may need resolved. It also helps Enbridge keep major projects on track by avoiding major opposition.
Southern Lights and Alberta Clipper
Southern Lights is a liquid petroleum pipeline from Chicago through Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota used to transport light hydrocarbons, or “diluents” to the Canadian oil sands area of Alberta. Alberta Clipper is a new crude oil pipeline from Alberta to Superior, Wisconsin, to increase capacity of the Enbridge system by 450,000 barrels per day (bpd), and it can later be expanded up to 800,000 bpd.
In the United States, Enbridge began consultations on the Southern Lights project early because much of the project will be constructed in conjunction with the Southern Access expansion project and/or Alberta Clipper.
We initially contacted landowners and public officials in 2006 by mail, and they have since received periodic updates. Enbridge personnel met with county boards and farm bureaus during the early fine-tuning of the pipeline route to identify issues. Such early contact drove a route deviation to avoid a development in northern Illinois and a planned intermodal transportation facility near Chicago. Early consultations also contributed significantly to developing the agricultural impact mitigation plan because we learned more about the farming issues important to those who lived and worked along the planned route. For example, Enbridge has now modified its progressive agriculture protection plan to add procedures to protect certified organic farm operations.
In Canada, more than 400 landowners and stakeholders attended a series of 12 open houses in late 2006 and early 2007 in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba regarding both Southern Lights and Alberta Clipper. Enbridge filed the Southern Lights application to the National Energy Board in March 2007 and filed the Alberta Clipper application in May 2007.
At each open house, a team of Enbridge personnel representing a variety of disciplines – project engineering, lands and right-of-way, environment, and community relations – provided information and answered questions regarding both projects, as well as about Enbridge as a whole. The open houses also gave residents in communities along the rights-of-way an opportunity to provide direct input or comment about the proposed projects.
In response to interests and concerns identified through the project consultation program, Enbridge has proposed the re-routing of some sections of the pipelines in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Additionally, in response to a variety of issues raised at the open houses by individual landowners and landowner groups in Manitoba, Enbridge held a series of workshops in early 2007 especially for these landowners to directly address their concerns and seek understanding. These landowners’ concerns included aspects of pipeline operations, abandonment, integrity, future right-of-way usage and access, and compensation for pipeline integrity digs and right-of-way easements.
Gateway Project
In our 2006 CSR Report, we reported on our stakeholder consultation activities in support of the proposed development of two new pipelines as part of the Enbridge Gateway Project. The proposed petroleum export pipeline would transport oil from Strathcona County, Alberta (west of Bruderheim) to a new marine terminal located at Kitimat, British Columbia, where it would be shipped by tanker to China, other Asia-Pacific markets, and California. The proposed condensate import pipeline, built along the same right-of-way, would transport imported condensate from the Kitimat Terminal to Strathcona County.
Enbridge has made substantial progress on the Gateway Project over the past few years in many areas including our design of the project and environmental assessments. Support for the project continues to be strong. However, Enbridge projects are driven by market priorities.
Because of an increase in customers’ requirements for the development of pipeline capacity from Alberta to markets in the United States, we have reprioritized our efforts towards fulfilling the more immediate U.S. requirements and adjusted our activity levels on the Gateway Project to reflect a later in-service date in the 2012 to 2014 time frame.
We will continue to work on the Gateway Project, but not at the accelerated pace of some of our other pipeline projects.
Since 2002, we have been meeting with landowners, Aboriginal communities, environmental organizations, local elected officials and other interested parties from Bruderheim, Alberta, to Kitimat, B.C.
A key component of the public consultation and communications program in late 2005 and early 2006 involved hosting 18 community open houses along the proposed project route. These open house sessions provided interested parties with a chance to learn more about the project and voice their opinions.
We have also built strong relationships with Aboriginal communities that might be affected by the project. Our consultation program has engaged almost 50 Aboriginal communities in B.C. and Alberta and contacted communities within 80 kilometres on either side of the proposed facilities.
Ongoing stakeholder consultation efforts include newsletter mailouts and a website. As we move forward with Gateway, we will continue to look for partnerships with communities and organizations so that we can work together to achieve a positive impact on the quality of life in regions adjacent to the Gateway Project.
Ontario Wind Power
Through our Ontario Wind Power project, we will build 110 wind turbine generators in the Municipality of Kincardine on the eastern shore of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario. Following environmental assessments, planning approval and public consultation, Enbridge expects to begin commercial operations in 2008.
In 2006, the municipality approved zoning bylaws for the wind turbines after Enbridge agreed to extend the setback distance of wind turbines from rear and side lot lines of non-participating landowners. As a result, Bruce County withdrew its request to the Ontario Ministry of the Environment for an elevation to a full environmental assessment.
Originally, we had also proposed to locate some wind turbines in the southern part of the Town of Saugeen Shores, which neighbours Kincardine. However, in 2006 it became clear that we would not be able to meet the requirements put forward by the Saugeen Shores town council and some residents of the municipality. We, therefore, decided to proceed only with the Kincardine component of the project.
These communities are located outside of Enbridge Gas Distribution’s franchise area, so local residents were not familiar with Enbridge’s name, history or values when we first announced our involvement in 2005.
Our consultation efforts have included establishing a storefront on the main street of Kincardine, organizing consultations with municipal councilors, participating in community events, and distributing newsletters to keep local residents and decision-makers informed.
In 2006, we held four public open houses to deliver up-to-date information about the project. We also sponsored numerous local events, including the Bruce Township 150th Anniversary, the Kincardine Scottish Festival, the Tiverton Energy Solutions Expo, the Saugeen Shores Pumpkinfest, Kincardine’s Canadian Cancer Society Relay for Life, and the Tiverton Winterfest.
In June 2006, we surveyed 402 residents in the proposed build area through a telephone poll with the question, "Do you support this project moving forward in the Kincardine/Saugeen Shores region?”. Seventy per cent replied "yes"; 17 per cent replied, "no"; and 13 per cent had no opinion.
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