Minnesota AG Reached Settlement with Enbridge over Line 3 Pipeline Construction Activity

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison announced that his office is filing charges against Enbridge after the company admitted to breaching an aquifer during construction of its Line 3 pipeline. The charge will be dropped in one year if Enbridge complies with the law going forward, pays a $1,000 fine, and contributes $60,000 to restoration projects. Enbridge must also pay over $11 million for water quality violations following an investigation by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Department of Natural Resources, and the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. According to the press release, the terms of the settlement amounted to more than what could have been won at trial, even if Enbridge had been convicted.