Scored evidence collected on an entity's engagement with land-use and circular economy policy will now be fully weighted into the final calculations for each entity's metrics. This follows a two year process where InfluenceMap has evolved its methodology to collect evidence on corporate and industry engagement with these key areas of climate-related policy.
We have strengthened the algorithm for discounting the impact older evidence on an organization's top-line metrics. Evidence from within the last two years is weighted the strongest and then gradually weighted out of the scoring calculations as it gets older. All evidence that is 5 years or older is completely removed from the scoring calculations. Users will still be able to view older evidence items that are archived the scoring matrix below, but these will not be impacting the organization's current scores.
In this section, we depict graphically the relationships the corporation has with trade associations, federations, advocacy groups and other third parties who may be acting on their behalf to influence climate change policy. Each of the columns above represents one relationship the corporation appears to have with such a third party. In these columns, the top, dark section represents the strength of the relationship the corporation has with the influencer. For example if a corporation's senior executive also held a key role in the trade association, we would deem this to be a strong relationship and it would be on the far left of the chart above, with the weaker ones to the right. Click on these grey shaded upper sections for details of these relationships. The middle section contains a link to the organization score details of the influencer concerned, so you can see the details of its climate change policy influence. Click on the middle sections for for details of the trade associations. The lower section contains the organization score of that influencer, the lower the more negatively it is influencing climate policy.
Climate Policy Engagement Overview: Enbridge demonstrates positive engagement on some aspects of climate policy, such as renewable energy targets, while undertaking negative advocacy on decarbonization policies. The company appears to remain actively engaged on energy policy in North America to promote fossil fuels in the energy mix.
Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Enbridge’s top-line communications on climate policy show positive positions on high-level climate targets, with broadly negative positions on the need for climate policy. In its 2022 Sustainability Report, published in May 2023, Enbridge recognized the “urgent imperative” to reduce GHG emissions, while the 2023 CDP climate change response supported Canada’s 2050 net-zero target. However, in a July 2023 opinion piece in The Globe and Mail, Enbridge CEO Greg Abel advocated for a global-level approach to emissions reduction over Canada-level climate action. The company’s response to the 2023 CDP response the company supported the Canadian federal government’s efforts to address climate change, while emphasizing concerns over the costs of emissions reduction policies.
Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: Enbridge appears to show negative engagement with specific climate-related regulations. In its 2022 CDP response, the company supported energy efficiency measures in general in relation to the Ontario Energy Board Act, without disclosing a position on energy efficiency policies. The response also noted the company’s support for renewable energy policies alongside oil and gas, including policies for infrastructure permitting.
The company disclosed support for Canada’s methane regulations for the oil and gas sector in its 2022 CDP response. However, in the 2023 CDP response, the company opposed Canada’s proposed Oil & Gas Emissions Cap, and advocated for an “economy-wide approach” to emissions reduction over oil and gas-sector focused regulations. In the 2023 CDP response, Enbridge disclosed its engagement on the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) methane regulation for the oil and gas sector; although the company did not specify its position on the policy.
In the 2023 CDP response, the company supported Canada’s federal and provincial carbon pricing policies, however, it has placed several conditions. For instance, Enbridge stated that the carbon pricing mechanism should recognize the interdependence between energy systems and encourage investments in technologies. It is unclear from the evidence how these conditions would affect the scope and ambition of the carbon pricing policies. In the same CDP response, the company stated that it is “undecided” on the Clean Fuel Regulation and emphasized the need "to avoid overlapping layers of regulation."
Positioning on Energy Transition: While Enbridge has stated support for the energy transition, it also calls for an increasing role for fossil gas and an ongoing role for oil. In its 2022 CDP response, Enbridge disclosed advocacy for the development of “cleaner oil and gas.” Evidence of Enbridge’s advocacy in 2022 shows 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 advocated to several government departments to influence the US government to allow the construction of the Line 5 Pipeline replacement in February 2022 as per the Quebec Lobbyist Registry. 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 contingent on the continued role for fossil gas. The company’s comments to the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection in April 2022 advocated for hydrogen produced with fossil gas. As per the 2023 CDP response, the company appeared unsupportive of Canada’s Clean Electricity Regulations, advocating for allowances for unabated fossil gas, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and renewable natural gas (RNG) in the regulations
Industry Association Governance: Enbridge discloses its industry association memberships in its Climate Lobbying Report and 2022 Sustainability Report, published in May 2023, containing a review of its climate positions and areas of alignment. In this review, Enbridge has disclosed positions it holds in each association but does not give further details on the associations’ climate policy positions or Enbridge’s efforts to influence those positions. Enbridge is a member of the American Petroleum Institute and American Gas Association, which oppose multiple strands of climate change policy. The company also holds membership in the American Clean Power Association, which typically 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 2024.