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Pipelines near our schools are a burning issue

When our children get on the bus in the morning, are we sending them to a safe place?

updated 5.2.2017

Have you ever heard of a School Safety Zone?  It is like a protective layer around schools (and daycare centers), designed to keep dangers away from our children.  In the State of Ohio, the School Safety Zone is 1,000 feet.  Registered sex offenders are not allowed within 1,000 feet of your child’s school.  Also, it is a felony offense to possess dangerous weapons or sell illegal drugs in the School Safety Zone in our state.

However, you may be surprised to learn that there are no laws to keep dangerous hazards like Duke’s huge expressway for natural gas away from the very place that should be safe for every child in Ohio — school.    When it comes to gas pipelines, there is NO School Safety Zone, but there should be…

That’s because if your child’s school is less than 1/4 mile away from Duke’s proposed transmission line, they are vulnerable to serious harm if there should be a pipeline failure*. When a high pressure pipeline ignites, there are flashes of heat that are unbelievably intense.  For a 20″, 500 psi pipeline, anyone within 1020 feet of the explosion is in peril of becoming severely burned, simply from the heat radiating off of the explosion.

Even with safety precautions in place, pipelines can and do fail.  Backhoes, weld failures and even Mother Nature compromise pipelines, every year.  If a failure were to happen along Duke’s transmission line, the consequences would be catastrophic and devastating.

There are over 25 schools and daycare centers within the dangerous burn zone along the preferred and alternate routes.  

What you need to do NOW:

SIGN OUR PETITION TO OHIO LEGISLATURE

  1. Contact families you know with children in the schools and daycare centers listed on the preferred and alternate pipeline routes.  Make them aware of this dangerous safety hazard.
  2. Contact the schools and daycare centers to make sure they are aware of the pipeline.  Ask them to send letters to parents so they can communicate with their government leaders.
  3. Communicate with Governor Kasich, State Senator Bill Seitz and the Ohio Power Siting Board to let them know a pipeline this close to our children’s schools is not acceptable.
  4. Contact Duke Energy about putting a pipeline of this size next to our schools and daycare centers.
*According to Pipeline Association for Public Awareness

What a Day it Was!

What a day that was! It started with Cincinnati City Council passing a resolution against Duke’s pipeline proposal, along with a motion to take all appropriate action, including formal intervention if necessary. Amberley Village and Evendale recently passed resolutions as well, joining opposition from Blue Ash, Deer Park, Golf Manor, Pleasant Ridge, and Sycamore Township.

Cincinnati City Council Opposes Duke Pipeline - Photo Credit: @nswartsell

Cincinnati City Council Opposes Duke Pipeline – Photo Credit: @nswartsell

Meanwhile, Hamilton County passed its own resolutions, vowing to support all affected towns and cities, and asking Duke to inform more residents than just those who live directly in the pipeline’s path. We hope all these actions are the start of a collaborative effort between local governments on finding a safer, more environmentally-sound way to meet the area’s energy needs.

The day ended with a massive turnout at Duke’s Open House in Blue Ash. Hundreds of people showed up to ask questions, and while the answers weren’t always direct or informative, we did manage to extract some valuable information. (More on that later.)

Duke Meeting in Blue Ash

Crowds at the Duke Energy Open House in Blue Ash – Photo Credit: Cincinnati Enquirer

To top it all off, Duke is now saying that it’s aiming to file its application to the Siting Board in July, rather than June as previously planned. That gives us more time to raise awareness and conduct research.

To everyone who’s contributed to this effort so far, whether it’s by sending letters, telling your neighbors, posting yard signs, meeting with community groups, or even just sharing our Facebook posts, thank you. Yesterday was a major validation that our voices are being heard.

Here’s all the media coverage that the day brought:

Cincinnati Enquirer: http://www.cincinnati.com/…/cincinnati-city-counc…/85883162/
Fox 19: http://www.fox19.com/…/32230673/duke-energy-pipeline-meetin…
WLWT: http://www.wlwt.com/…/group-shows-opposition-of-pr…/40075596
WCPO: http://www.wcpo.com/…/residents-politicians-turn-out-for-du…

We need you!

Join NOPE! Cincy

Please support us by becoming involved.  Stay up to date on the latest developments — things are happening fast.  Volunteer your voice, time or talent.  We need everyone’s help to influence key stakeholders in Ohio Government, Duke Energy and even Federal Policy Makers to try to influence not only the route of this pipeline, but others that may be planned for Cincinnati, Hamilton County and other communities like ours.