Consequences of pipeline

Dear Editor,

The damage caused by the construction and maintenance of the PennEast pipeline will have serious financial consequences for those who work in the outdoor industry.

Jobs associated with Hickory Run State Park, Beltzville State Park, the Lehigh River, and the ski resorts will be threatened. This project provides temporary jobs for construction workers, which unfortunately comes along with the territory of that profession. However, the outdoor industry which includes local outfitters, bike shops, state parks, campgrounds, ski and kayak instructors, rafting guides, naturalists, lifeguards, and environmental educators consistently provides jobs while also protecting and maintaining the land and waterways it depends on.

Clear cuts of forest, degradation of local waterways, as well as noise and air pollution, will reduce the number of tourists that visit northeast Pennsylvania to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds us. The four rafting companies on the Lehigh River alone attract tens of thousands of tourists in a season (employing hundreds, if not thousands, of local workers). Not only is tourism responsible for the creation and sustainability of thousands of jobs in the outdoor industry, but it also supports local small businesses. Visitors need places to sleep, camp, and eat, as well as entertainment venues, like museums, historical sites, and concert halls. Tourism allows local artists and musicians to thrive in towns like Jim Thorpe. But the noise, air pollution, and environmental scars caused by the pipeline places this way of life, at risk.

Jobs are a vital issue, but the focus needs to shift toward maintaining what we do have right here, right now a thriving outdoor industry that has provided for our local economy and protected the environment for generations.

PennEast promises temporary jobs, but the economic and environmental damage will be permanent.

Donna Kohut

New Ringgold