One of the four pipes was built in 1949 by the Lakehead Pipe Line Company. Lakehead was later incorporated under Enbridge Energy Partners. The pipeline covered 990 miles, beginning at Redwater, Alberta and running through Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, Minnesota, and ending at Superior, Wisconsin. Originally, four oil tankers were built to ship the oil from Superior to Sarnia, Ontario. Because winter prevented tanker traffic, the pipeline was extended from Superior to Sarnia in 1953. It became the world's longest pipeline covering 1,760 miles.
The Red Lake Tribal Council has demanded for the removal of the pipeline. As indicated by the maps, re-routing will be an extensive and expensive task for Enbridge. However, Enbridge does not have an easement agreement with the tribe. Under Red Lake sovereign jurisdiction, is trespassing on tribal domain.