Andrew Shelley
Stories (1/0)
Cash Fast: From Eminent Domain to Billions in Months with This Simple Trick
My thoughts were nowhere to be found as the consistent beat from my bike chain placed my mind in a trance. I waved to my new neighbors who decided to take their small children for a walk on what seemed to be the most idyllic day of the year. As I felt the familiar metallic taste begin to fill my mouth, I decided to jump off my bike and catch my breath. The beat of the bike chain stopped and I could hear nothing but the wind blowing by my face. It was soothing. I blocked the sun from my eyes and looked at the magnificence surrounding me. Nature always had a special place in my heart. I took one last breath and just as I was about to hop back on my bike I heard a deafening boom and saw a massive inferno barreling towards my location faster than a freight train. Just before it was about to reach me, it was redirected and took a sharp left. It was then that I realized it was following the path of the newly installed Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline. The force from the blast knocked me to the ground. Once I knew it was safe, I stood up and examined the wasteland that now surrounded me. The beautiful scene that I had just been admiring moments before had been twisted into a wasteland. The only sound I heard was the distant roar of the pipeline continuing to explode. I looked around for my neighbors, but they were nowhere in sight. I knew their fate; the pipeline stops for no one. Now this story was completely made up, but for many of us who live next to or even near a pipeline, this scenario is very real and very possible. Pipeline companies often say that the chance of a pipeline exploding is slim to none, yet year after year, pipelines still continue to explode all over the country. According to PennLive, one of the more recent gas explosions happened in Allentown where a pipeline exploded, destroyed eight row homes, and killed five people. A pair of those people were a sixteen-year-old sister and a four-month old brother. Over a dozen were injured and hundreds were forced to evacuate the area. People are very concerned over the possibility of a pipeline explosion, yet that is just one of the many reasons why Lancaster County residents are fighting a David and Goliath-style battle against Williams, the creator of the Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline. The pipeline, which is currently being installed, is forty-two inches in diameter in some areas, including Lancaster County. It will be used to hold and transport natural gas across the United States to be exported to various countries. This may seem like an important step for America to make the transition into a clean energy, but that is far from the truth. The Atlantic Sunrise Pipeline installation is not justified because its use of eminent domain is unconstitutional, it is not as safe as Williams claims, and it is destroying the environment.
By Andrew Shelley6 years ago in The Swamp