Climate Lobbying Overview: Enbridge do’s engagement with climate-specific policy shows mixed positions, although the company appears to remain actively engaged with both local and regional energy policies in North America to promote fossil fuels in the energy mix.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Enbridge’s top-line communications on climate change demonstrate a mix of positive and negative positions. In its 2021 Sustainability Report, published in June 2022, Enbridge recognized the need for “strong action” on climate change, however, the company has not specified whether this is in line with IPCC-specified timelines for GHG reduction for a net-zero future. The company often situates climate action as one part of a ‘dual challenge,’ the other being a growing global demand for energy. For instance, in its 2020 Sustainability Report published in 2021, the company supported solutions that meet this demand while reducing GHG emissions.

In its 2021 ESG Datasheet, published in June 2022, the company supported market-based carbon pricing and climate policies that focus on enabling “innovation.” The company’s responses to 2021 CDP climate questionnaire supported the Canadian federal government’s efforts to address climate change, while insisting that policies for emissions reduction should be “cost-effective.”

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Enbridge appears to show relatively limited transparent engagement with specific climate-related regulations and does not appear to disclose this information in its primary channels. While the company’s 2021 CDP disclosure lists support for a carbon tax in Canada, it appears to emphasize that any carbon pricing program should be “economically efficient” and “cost-effective”. Enbridge’s CDP 2021 responses reveal mixed support for Canadian Clean Fuel Standard and energy efficiency measures. There is evidence of Enbridge’s direct engagement with policymakers in Canada on climate regulations at the federal and provincial level, as revealed through the lobbyist registries. However, the company has not disclosed its positions on these engagements.

Positioning on Energy Transition: While Enbridge has stated support for energy transition, it also calls for an increasing role for fossil gas and an ongoing role for oil. For instance, In 2021, Enbridge's corporate website stated the company's support for policy advocacy to decarbonize North America’s electricity grids and in driving overall energy transition.

On the contrary, many pieces of evidence highlight Enbridge’s advocacy in favor of fossil fuels in Canada. Evidence of Enbridge’s lobbying in 2022 show that the company consulted with the governments of Alberta and Manitoba and appeared to support the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure. In Quebec, the company lobbied several government departments to influence the US government to allow the construction of the Line 5 Pipeline replacement in February 2022. In the US, in March 2022, Enbridge, along with three other midstream companies, sent a letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission advocating for a quick approval process for fossil gas pipelines citing the Russia-Ukraine crisis and its impact on global energy supply.

Enbridge’s support for measures related to decarbonization appears to be contingent on the continued role for fossil gas. Enbridge’s comments to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in April 2022 regarding the Hydrogen Strategy, advocated for hydrogen produced with fossil gas. Further, in July 2021, feedback by Enbridge Gas on Ontario’s Emissions Performance Standards Program advocated for hydrogen and renewable natural gas (RNG) blending with fossil gas for decarbonizing industrial facilities.

Enbridge appears to be supportive of increasing RNG in the energy mix. There is also evidence of advocacy in favor of RNG investment in Quebec from February 2022.

Industry Association Governance: Enbridge discloses a list of trade associations it holds a membership with on its corporate website, along with a separate document, published in June 2021, containing a detailed review of its climate positions and areas of alignment. In this review, Enbridge has disclosed the positions held by the company in each of these associations, however, it does not give further details on the associations’ climate policy positions or Enbridge’s engagement through them. Enbridge is a member of the American Petroleum Institute and American Gas Association which opposes multiple strands of climate change policy. The company also holds membership in the American Clean Power Association which supports ambitious climate policy.

A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information, see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q1 2023.