Much Ado About Pipelines ...

June 4, 2007
... and the peripheral threat to JFK International Airport was all over the news this past weekend. The good news is that the concept of threats to pipelines and fuel farms is well known to airport and law enforcement groups. Attend any group discussion on terrorist threats and aviation, and fuel farms and pipelines surface as a serious consideration. What may be even better news, according to media reports, is that federal agencies (CIA, FBI) are cooperating more fully – a goal of post-9/11 investigations.   The thought that kept recurring with each updated news report was this: Most of the people who are responsible for the operation and safety/security of fuel farms, pipelines, and airports probably responded with, “It reaffirms what we already suspected and have been watching for.†It heightens the awareness of the reality and in turn the need. They may have also thought, “Maybe the general public will believe there remain serious threats out there.†(A skeptic might suggest that if it doesn’t involve liquids or shoes at the screening station, it’s a passing notice.)   Some in the media are downplaying the significance of the arrests, citing that the “plan†was in its very early stages and underfunded. To them, I guess, the closer we are to actual devastation the more serious the crime. Another thought might be, the earlier we get ‘em the better. Is there a different level of “serious†that we put to someone planning on blowing up JFK (and getting caught) versus actually blowing up JFK? (Perhaps the Democrats are working on legislation.)   One question that has surfaced here comes from an article in Newsday which looked at JFK neighbors who had no idea that a pipeline runs under their neighborhoods. For airports across the U.S., forthcoming airport meetings could see citizens coming in and asking for pipeline diagrams.   Thanks for reading. jfi