To the editor:

In a recent article in Leader Publications about Fred Upton’s comments regarding pipeline issues, I was happy to learn about the regulatory guidelines put in place after the leak in Calhoun County.
It comes to my mind that we should be happy that Enbridge and other pipeline companies are concerned about the aging infrastructure in the United States.
I am sure that most of us have heard about preventative maintenance. The pipeline isn’t new construction per se, but preventative to stave off dangerous breakdowns of that aging equipment and provide better safety to the public and the environment.
The pipeline runs just north of the Wal-Mart in Niles and next to a mobile home park and Tank Town isn’t that far from two local schools.
Can you imagine an explosion there?
How many times have we seen whole neighborhoods destroyed by an aging pipeline?
This project benefits our local economy with full hotels and campgrounds, increased sales for merchants and restaurants and local workers. As for me, I would rather have replaced and more efficient pipelines in my community.

Janet Personette
Niles