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Jul 12, 2012

Enbridge and Enbridge Energy Partners (Enbridge) has worked closely and cooperatively with the NTSB throughout its investigation, and is now reviewing the summary report in detail. Enbridge will not provide detailed statements on the specific contents of the final report until it has been issued and our analysis is complete.

Enbridge has already implemented, in 2010 and 2011, appropriate operational and procedural changes based on its own detailed internal investigation. Enbridge will continue to carefully examine the NTSB reports to determine whether any further changes are required.

Enbridge’s overarching objective and business priority is to ensure the safety and reliability of our delivery systems for the people who live and work near our pipeline systems across North America, our employees and our customers.

In direct response to the Marshall accident, or as part of our ongoing improvement initiatives and activities, Enbridge has taken the following steps:

Pipeline and Facility Integrity

• Further heightened the importance and goal of our pipeline and facility integrity program.
• Re-organized the functional areas that are responsible for pipeline and facility integrity.
• Enbridge has always taken an aggressive, proactive approach to pipeline integrity management, and was spending approximately $150 million per year on pipeline integrity testing and management prior to the Marshall incident. Enbridge has also been one of the largest users in the world of high technology in-line inspection tools.
• Following the Marshall incident, Enbridge further substantially increased pipeline integrity management spending to over $450 million in each of 2011 and 2012, and has performed more than 175 inline inspections and nearly 3000 pipeline excavations during that time.
• Undertook hundreds of internal inspections and thousands of investigative digs.
• Placed a renewed emphasis on the safety of our overall system.

Leak Detection

• Established the Pipeline Control Systems and Leak Detection department, doubling the number of employees and contractors dedicated to leak detection and pipeline control.
• Enhanced procedures for leak detection analysis.
• Implemented a Leak Detection Instrumentation Improvement Program to add and upgrade instrumentation across our system.

Pipeline Control and Control Centre Operations (CCO)

• Developed a Control Room Management (CRM) plan based on the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations and implemented a number of the sections, October 1, 2011, remaining sections implemented by August 1, 2012.
• Revised and enhanced all procedures pertaining to decision making, handling pipeline startups and shutdowns, leak detection system alarms, communication protocols, and suspected column separations. 
• Enhanced the organizational structures to better support our operators and to manage span of control and workloads.
• Augmented CCO (Control Centre Operations) staff, adding training, technical support, engineering and operator positions. 
• Prior to the accident, we had embarked on the design and construction of a new, world-class Control Centre in Edmonton, Alberta.  The new centre was opened in December 2011 and significantly enhances the work environment for our operators and allows greater interaction and support for 7 x 24 hour operations.

Public Awareness

• Reviewed and strengthened Public Awareness Programs across our operational areas in both the U.S and Canada.
• Developing an industry-leading online and in-person training tool to provide Enbridge-specific information to emergency responders. 
• In the U.S, we:
  • Formalized the U.S. Public Awareness Committee.
  • Improved the Program Effectiveness Evaluation process.
  • Provided annual employee training for field employees across the company’s U.S. operations.
  • Created a Public Awareness Hotline.
• In Canada, we:
  • Formalized the Canadian Public Awareness Committee.
  • Are creating a Canadian Public Awareness Database.
  • Improved the landowner/tenant database.
  • Developed a landowner newsletter.
  • Established Community Relations positions in each region.

Emergency Response

• An incremental $50 million will be spent between 2012 and 2013 (projected) to improve our equipment, training and overall response capabilities.
• Develop better tools and techniques for worst case waterborne spills.
• In 2011, a cross-business unit response team was created for large-scale events requiring more resources that a single region could provide.
• In 2011, created a dedicated Emergency Response group in Operation Services for increased regional support.
• Conducting an Emergency Response preparedness assessment to enhance abilities to more rapidly respond and contain a significant release.

Safety Culture

• Reinforced a high level of safety and operational integrity across Enbridge in integrity management, third-party damage avoidance and detection, leak detection, incident response capacity, worker and contractor occupational safety, public safety and environmental protection.
• Implemented “Lifesaving Rules” and training for all Enbridge employees and contractors. The Lifesaving Rules are designed to highlight key process and rules that, if not followed, could put people’s lives at risk.  They have been implemented enterprise wide.
• Introduced new Safety Culture training sessions for all employees. 
• Renewed focus on risk assessment and research and development.