Pipeline project a winning opportunity

State regulators in Harrisburg are considering a pipeline improvement project that presents a winning opportunity for small business suppliers like ours, for consumers and for all of Pennsylvania.
As described in an article that appeared in the Observer-Reporter May 12, “Proposed pipeline reversal could impact pump prices in region,” Buckeye Partners is seeking to reverse a portion of its Laurel pipeline that brings fuel westward from Philadelphia. The company is responding to market demands from refiners in the Midwest that want more opportunity deliver their lower-cost fuels here, especially as supplies from Philadelphia refiners have fallen.
Allowing the pipeline to flow eastward to Altoona would bring great benefits to consumers in our state as more of the Midwest refiners’ North American-sourced fuels would be available in Western Pennsylvania.
And although no new pipeline will be built as part of the project, improvements will be made along the system. We are excited to bid on some of the $200 million in upgrades and other investments planned by Buckeye. As a channel partner to Buckeye since our inception as a Pennsylvania corporation in 1973, I can speak to their dedication in supporting Pennsylvania businesses throughout their history and influence in our great state.
Buckeye has worked, invested and hired locally in Pennsylvania for more than 50 years. And like our company, it has grown and adapted to changes, evolving with the energy industry. Buckeye and its proposal before the Public Utility Commission have earned our support.
It’s clear to me as both a consumer and business supplier that this proposal is a market-driven solution and is ripe for approval.
Duncan Sinclair Neilson
Canonsburg
Neilson is president of Energy Products Co., an industrial equipment supplier.