Mr. Darin Barter reports

NATIONAL ENERGY BOARD RELEASES ENBRIDGE AUDIT REPORT

The National Energy Board (NEB) has released its audit of Enbridge Inc.'s Enbridge Pipelines Inc.'s NEB-regulated facilities and concludes that the company continues to operate safely.

The 15-month audit examined all aspects of the company's operations and included field inspections, company personnel interviews, and a thorough review of safety and environmental protection documentation.

The NEB audit found that the company's current systems are working well. The audit's findings of non-compliance relate to the transition of the company's existing management systems to an approach that aligns with recent and explicit requirements specified in the NEB's onshore pipeline regulations (OPR). This does not reflect a risk to public safety or the environment. The NEB believes the improvements noted will help lead to a more robust safety culture.

As of April, 2013, the NEB's onshore pipeline regulations were amended to include the requirement of companies to establish internal safety management systems.

The next step in the NEB's audit process requires the company to submit a corrective action plan to correct all non-compliant areas found during the audit. The NEB will actively monitor and evaluate the company's progress toward achieving full compliance with regulatory requirements.

Each year, six audits are conducted as part of the national energy regulator's mandate to ensure regulatory compliance among NEB-regulated companies.

NEB audits are an important regulatory instrument to verify immediate and long-term public safety and environmental protection and to assure that companies maintain the integrity of Canada's pipeline network on a continuous basis.

The NEB Enbridge audit report is available on the NEB website.