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POLICIES & MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
CSR POLICY
At Enbridge, we define corporate social responsibility (CSR) as:
- conducting business in a socially responsible and ethical way
- protecting the environment and the health and safety of people
- supporting human rights
- engaging, respecting and supporting the communities and cultures with which we work.
In 2004, Enbridge adopted a corporate CSR policy, which
covers business ethics and transparency, EH&S, stakeholder relations,
employee relations, human rights and community investment. This
policy applies to activities undertaken by, or on behalf of, Enbridge
and our controlled subsidiaries anywhere in the world.
CSR MANAGEMENT STRUCTURES
In 2004, as an important first step toward this long-term goal, we
set up a CSR Advisory Committee, a cross-disciplinary group that
involves senior staff from across our different business units. This
19-person committee provides advice to senior management on
CSR policies, strategies, planning and performance. In 2004, this
committee met twice.
In 2005, advisory groups were formed from the CSR Committee
and other employees to specifically address CSR activities as they
relate to Enbridge projects and operations. The Aboriginal Advisory
Committee, Climate Change Advisory Committee and the Community
Investment Advisory Committee are all sub-committees of the overall
CSR Committee. Their activities include advising on project-specific
matters, such as creating procurement and contracting policies
and programs for pipeline initiatives that traverse First Nations and
aboriginal lands.
The sub-committees and CSR Advisory Committee report to
Bonnie DuPont, Group Vice President, Corporate Resources.
Ms. DuPont is a member of Enbridge's Corporate Leadership
Team and is responsible for informing the Board of Directors of
Enbridge Inc. about our company's CSR activities. Group Vice
Presidents of our core operations are responsible for putting into
effect our CSR policy in their business units.
EMPLOYEE AWARENESS
As we broaden our business plans and activities to incorporate CSR,
our company is faced with new challenges, including engaging
individual employees on CSR issues and activities. Several initiatives
were carried out in 2004 to help our employees better understand
what CSR means to our business:
- Articles on CSR issues and initiatives were featured in Link,
Enbridge's employee newsletter.
- Our Liquids Pipelines business developed a comprehensive
environmental training program for operations employees, which
covers regulatory requirements, corporate policies and industry
best practices. This program was introduced in our Canadian
operations, and we plan to expand it to our U.S. operations
in the future.
- Our U.S. Natural Gas Business launched an EH&S quarterly
report to spread the word to employees on EH&S issues and
activities in its operations.
- Our business units celebrated our CSR achievements at the local
level. Last year, for example, Enbridge Gas Distribution organized
Celebrating Sustainability, a series of events such as "lunch and
learn" presentations, safety demonstrations and fitness activities,
across its Ontario operations, showcasing Enbridge's commitment
to the environment, the community, and worker and public safety.
CONTINUAL IMPROVEMENT OF MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
Our business units apply management systems specifically adapted
to their activities and business needs. These systems are designed to
focus our company's EH&S objectives, improve worker safety, reduce
adverse impacts on health and the environment, and measure our
progress. A goal of these systems is increased consistency of EH&S
activities, closely tied to our business and CSR objectives.
In 2004, we continued to strengthen these systems:
- Liquids Pipelines incorporated new operations, such as our
recently acquired Cushing-to-Chicago Pipeline, into its EH&S
management systems.
- Enbridge Gas Distribution established a distribution management
system that provides for the safety of the employees and
the public and the protection of property and the environment.
The system is a customized management system based on the
framework adopted by the Corporation to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the ISO framework. EH&S and pipeline
integrity management are part of this system. During the year,
Enbridge Gas Distribution continued to strengthen different
elements of the distribution management system. For example,
it developed a software-based auditing protocol and questionnaire
to assist EH&S staff in carrying out internal compliance reviews
of our 42 gate stations. Enbridge Gas Distribution also revised
management systems for estimating and tracking greenhouse gas
emissions from our gas distribution operations to prepare for
Kyoto regulations.
- We continued to strengthen EH&S compliance in our U.S.
Natural Gas Business through the use of our Ops Environmental
compliance database system, an online set of EH&S tracking and
notification tools that help staff in monitoring compliance with
federal, state and internal requirements. This system was successfully
put into effect in all areas of our U.S. Natural Gas Business,
including the North Texas natural gas system acquired a year ago.
REVIEWS AND AUDITS
We understand that, besides our EH&S management systems, it is
essential to have mechanisms to continually evaluate the effectiveness
of our EH&S programs. Accordingly, we use reviews and audits to
assess each business segment's compliance with government regulations
and our internal policies and management systems, and to provide
guidance for making improvements.
Internal EH&S reviews
We conduct internal EH&S reviews at all facilities we operate. To
carry out the review, a team of EH&S professionals inspects the site,
conducts interviews and checks documentation. After the review is
done, the team provides local management with a formal written
review report summarizing the findings. Management then develops
an action plan to correct deficiencies. The review team follows up on
documented issues to ensure they are fully addressed.
Process safety management (PSM)
Process safety management (PSM) is a formal review process required
by U.S. regulations for non-pipeline plant operations to prevent
accidental releases of hazardous chemicals and energy. Our U.S.
Natural Gas Business has developed a comprehensive PSM program
that meets, or exceeds, regulatory requirements. We take a proactive
approach to prevent hazardous chemical releases by identifying, evaluating and monitoring systems before an incident or failure
occurs. Besides carrying out PSM audits at all applicable gas plants,
we conduct similar review processes at other facilities not covered
under the regulations, helping to ensure a consistent approach to
safety throughout the business.
In 2004, we carried out PSM reviews at nine gas processing
plants in Texas and Mississippi.
External audits and inspections
Environmental and safety audits and inspections of our operations
are carried out by local and federal regulatory agencies.
In 2004, for example, the National Energy Board (NEB)
conducted a pipeline security management assessment in Canada's
pipeline systems, including our Liquids Pipelines mainline system.
The assessment identified best practices and assessed the need for
security regulations for Canada's pipelines. The NEB, in its review of
Enbridge's mainline system, noted that our company has incorporated
various best practices, including innovative technology and threat
condition response levels, into our security management.
State and federal agencies conducted 80 compliance audits in our
U.S. Natural Gas Business. No significant issues were identified.
REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
We manage compliance with laws and regulations through system
controls and regular reviews and inspections. We consider any regulatory
notification or penalty to be important to our CSR performance
and continue to work toward our goal of no non-compliance. In
the event that our performance falls short of this goal, we carry out
rigorous reviews and institute corrective processes.
In 2004, we received 28 regulatory notifications from government
agencies for environmental or safety issues.
- Liquids Pipelines received five regulatory notifications. These
included a provincial order for non-compliance items identified
during an Ontario Ministry of Environment inspection of our
Sarnia, Ontario pipeline terminal. The inspection included
requirements to obtain provincial certificates of approval for air
emissions and wastewater discharges as well as other relatively minor
administrative issues. We continue to work with the Ministry to
resolve these issues.
- Gas Pipelines received two regulatory notifications. The most
significant was a notice of violation for exceeding operating permit
levels for carbon monoxide at the Highland, Michigan compressor
station on the Vector pipeline. In early 2005 we received a fine of
$69,300 US and took corrective action, modifying equipment and
operating practices, in consultation with the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency and state regulators.
- Enbridge Gas Distribution received three orders from the Ontario
Ministry of Labour at one job site. One of the orders resulted
from a failure to erect a fence between the work project and the
public way. A second order was received for failure to develop and
implement a traffic protection plan for workers, and a third order
related to a contravention affecting the safety of workers. To prevent
similar events from recurring, Enbridge Gas Distribution field
crews are using a newly developed traffic and control
protection form, which ensures consistent review of potential
project hazards with on-site contractors.
- Our U.S. Natural Gas Business received 18 notices of violation
for air permit and pipeline non-compliance issues. The most
significant was a $85,000 US fine from the U.S. Department of
Transportation, Office of Pipeline Safety, for inadequate cathodic
protection in our Kansas pipeline system. We have installed deep
well ground beds and made other improvements to strengthen
cathodic protection along the pipeline.
| REGULATORY NOTIFICATIONS AND FINES |
| |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
| Regulatory Notifications |
8 |
7 |
21 |
28 |
| Regulatory fines
incurred (US$) |
$46,000 |
$16,900 |
$54,000 |
$207,278 |
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On April 24, 2003, seven people died in an explosion and fire
on Bloor Street West in Toronto. The incident was a tragedy and
Enbridge is deeply saddened by the deaths and injuries that occurred.
Enbridge Gas Distribution and two other companies have had charges
laid against them related to this incident. This matters remains before
the courts.
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