Canadian News Massive Pipeline Replacement Begins in Saskatchewan Local 870 works to bring more First Nations people into the trade facilities on either side of the Canada-U.S. international border. The total length of the pipeline replacement is 1,031 miles (1,660 km). On the Canadian side of the border, Enbridge Pipelines Inc. has announced plans to undertake an approximately .9-billion replacement program for most of its Line 3 pipeline running between Enbridge’s existing Hardisty Terminal in east-central Alberta and Gretna, Manitoba. Replacing the pipeline is the most efficient way to maintain the reliability of Line 3, and it’s also the most timely and reliable transportation solution for transporting Western Canadian crude oil to refinery markets in Chicago, the U.S. Gulf Coast, and the Eastern U.S. and Canada. IN PREPARATION FOR one of the largest pipeline replacement projects ever undertaken, Local 870 put on a joint venture training school with Enbridge in Saskatchewan. The main focus was on training First Nations people from around the province to gain the necessary skills required to work on the pipeline project when it gets underway this year. The .5-billion Line 3 Replacement Program (L3RP) is the largest project in Enbridge history, and includes replacing the existing pipe with modern pipe materials utilizing modern construction methods — resulting in restoration of one of Enbridge’s primary pipelines along its Mainline crude oil system. The training courses covered all aspects of a normal pipeline work, including grading, ditching and side boom operation. Twenty-four people from the First Nations and Local 870 took part in two week courses over a three month period. Classroom work covered training videos, exams and equipment safety, but quickly transitioned to hands on work. Each student trained only on the single piece of equipment they signed up for to get maximum seat time. Most of the students taking equipment training already had some type of equipment experience, unless they were there to take oiler training. Side boom operators learned how to place 36 inch pipe in a ditch working together with another side boom. They learned to work in tandem moving a pipeline around a right-of-way and around certain obstacles. Backhoe operators learned how to dig a safe man entry ditch, how to dig bell holes, stairs and side bends. Dozer hands and Graders learned how to cut ROW and put it back to its original state. And every person was trained on hot line safety in every aspect of every piece of equipment. Under the L3RP, the majority of the existing Line 3 will be fully replaced with new pipeline and associated 22 INTERNATIONAL OPERATING ENGINEER SPRING 2016 23
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