At 7 p.m. on Monday, July 16, at the Seward Civic Center, the people of Seward County have a unique opportunity to learn the pros and cons of having a large high-pressure oil pipeline running through their county.
     TransCanada has proposed building a 30-inch pipeline that will move over 18 million gallons of crude oil a day through Nebraska.
     TransCanada has already begun to contact landowners seeking permission to construct this pipeline under their land.
     Pipelines are not a topic that most people think about until something goes wrong.
     While pipelines may be the safest way to transport large quantities of fuel, serious things can go wrong with them.
     For this reason it is important that local citizens, and their elected officials, pay attention to proposed pipelines to make sure they are being located in the safest possible routes, being built in ways that ensure long term operational safety and that landowners are being told the whole story.
     Thanks to the efforts of the Seward League of Women Voters, the Seward GFWC Women's Club and the Seward Citizens on Pipeline Route Committee, pipeline experts representing a wide variety of views will make educational presentations and answer questions to help people decide for themselves about the safety of this proposed pipeline.
     Representatives from state and federal government, the University of Nebraska and TransCanada will all be on hand.
     I will be providing a citizen perspective about pipelines that was learned in the past eight years since a liquid pipeline ruptured and exploded in my hometown.
     That tragedy killed three children in a park, wiped out an entire salmon stream, and taught our community that learning about the hidden pipelines that cross our communities is important to prevent more tragedies.
     Hope to meet you there.
    Carl Weimer, Bellingham, Wash.
    Executive Director
    Pipeline Safety Trust