In our zeal to ensure that this community remains safe, it is important for us not to get carried away with pipe-dream expectations. We need to ensure that we are sending a consistent message that our goal is pipeline safety. Expecting that the pipeline will disappear from our community is unrealistic and takes attention away from regulatory reform efforts. The fact is that this county is home to two refineries, one that supplies fuel for most of this state and the Sea-Tac airport. Fighting the pipeline's existence would be a losing battle fought at the expense of attainable goals.
Studies can be extremely beneficial.
We can't solve problems we don't thoroughly understand. But we mustn't fall into the trap of studying the pipeline to death as a means of stalling it's reopening. We feel confident that the many experts who have been pushing for regulations for years are offering good solutions. Of course we want to feel absolutely comfortable that all safety concerns have been addressed before the petroleum products begin flowing. But we must understand that time will come.