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Enbridge Line 3 - a Canadian viewpoint



Enbridge's Line 3 expansion is all risk, no reward

By Laura Cameron and Nick Smith
Construction on the Manitoba segment of the biggest project in Enbridge's history is slated to begin in a couple of months, but you've likely never heard of it.
Line 3, as it is known, is a new crude-oil pipeline — with a predicted price tag of $8.2 billion — set to be built along the route of a smaller, existing pipeline operated by the Calgary-based oil and gas giant.
Construction has already begun west of Manitoba on the line, which will cut a path through the Prairies, from the Alberta oilsands en route to the shores of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin.
The new pipeline has been billed as a replacement for the existing, aging infrastructure, but in reality is a massive expansion that will nearly double the capacity from what Enbridge says is a low of 390,000 barrels of crude oil per day to 760,000 barrels a day.
Line 3 in Canada - Thanks to CBC
There has never been a more important time to think critically about the kinds of energy infrastructure we invest in. So why hasn't there been more discussion about one of the largest oil infrastructure investments in North American history?
For starters, Enbridge promotes Line 3 as a routine replacement operation. This narrative overlooks the fact that the old pipe will be decommissioned, but not removed — and the new pipe is a significant expansion that deviates from the original route in the U.S.
The Trudeau government has also played a role in downplaying Line 3 by bundling its authorization with the much higher-profile approval of the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain pipeline, and the rejection of Enbridge's Northern Gateway line.
To read the complete article:

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/manitoba/opinion-enbridge-line-3-manitoba-1.4557674

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