Enbridge estimate of $1.4 billion worst-case spill clean up cost based on 13 minute spill… As part of the conditional approval Enbridge received for the Line 3 Replacement pipeline, it was required to estimate the cost of a “worst case” spill, such as into the Mississippi River. The greatest portion of the total $1.4 billion cost would result from efforts to clean up environmental damage. This $1.4 billion estimate is based on 13 minutes of spill. The 2010 Kalamazoo, MI spill went on for 17 hours before it was stopped. Businesses located near a pipeline break would also incur sizable costs. You can read more in the Duluth News Tribune and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
…and Minnesota Regulators say Enbridge’s insurance is inadequate
The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has concluded that Enbridge’s “policies do not cover damages from crude oil spills to any significant degree, if at all.” These kinds of policies carry at the top line a blanket exception and exclusion for all pollution damages, and are not the kind of policy that we can rely upon to protect the people and taxpayers. You can read more in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Wisconsin Public Radio and the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.