Enbridge Agrees To Pay $11 Million for Spills and Breaches During Line 3 Work in Minnesota

ST. PAUL (KVRR) — Enbridge Energy agrees to pay Minnesota and Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa $11 million for spills and breaches caused by its Line 3 pipeline.

It also agrees to pay a $1,000 fine after admitting a breach of an aquifer in Clearwater County.

Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a misdemeanor count on behalf of the county against Enbridge for appropriating state waters without a permit through construction for that breach.

The charge will be dismissed following one-year of compliance with state water rules.

Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found Enbridge violated a series of regulations such as discharging construction stormwater in wetlands and releasing drilling mud into 12 different locations between June 8th and August 5th, 2021.

Enbridge Energy released a statement saying in part, “We appreciate that we were able to come to agreement with the agencies and are committed to making this right.”