Citizens can learn everything they should know, but likely don’t, about the gas and petroleum pipelines that, mostly out of sight, crisscross the U.S. for 492,924 miles, including under Berrien and Cass counties.
The League of Women Voters of Berrien and Cass Counties offers residents of these counties the opportunity to hear Beth Wallace of the National Wildlife Federation share her extensive pipeline knowledge at a meeting Tuesday, Sept. 27 at the Greater Niles Senior Center, 1109 Bell Rd., Niles. There will be refreshments served at 6:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 7 p.m. There is no admission and all are welcome to attend.
Niles was chosen as the location for the meeting because of the confluence of pipelines in the Niles area, especially on the Cass County side. There are also two pipelines running parallel to the Lake Michigan shore.
Because these pipelines are out of sight they are easily ignored. Citizens hear only about the most sensational explosions and leaks, such as into the Kalamazoo River in Michigan and the Yellowstone River in Montana, but they are a fairly frequent occurrence.
According to the League, the proposed Keystone XL is a huge pipeline that, if built, would carry corrosive and toxic crude oil from Alberta, Canada to Texas and Louisiana refineries. There is no guarantee the refined product would stay in the U.S. for its use (China and Europe are prospective customers), but the U.S. would host the pipeline and own any problems.
For more information on the topic go to the League website lwvbcc.org and click on “Recent Updates” for the article “What Lies Beneath.”