To the Editor:

During and after hurricane Sandy, there were reports of people in the Princeton area who experienced reduced pressure in the natural gas lines, to the extent that they could not operate their emergency generators. The proposed pipeline that will run adjacent to the existing pipeline across the northern corner of Princeton offers us an opportunity to secure a supply of gas for our homes and businesses close to the pipeline where the likelihood of pressure outage interruptions will be minimal. This can be achieved by a tap on the pipeline within Princeton.

This tap would consist of two buildings, one owned by the pipeline company, where the physical tap is placed, and the other by the local gas company, housing the pressure regulating and distribution equipment. The space required could be as small as a half acre, presumably on or adjoining the pipeline ROW. The cost of this infrastructure was estimated by the pipeline engineer at the recent public meeting at about one million dollars. The pipeline company will put a tap anywhere it is wanted, but the decision whether to install a tap at all is made by the local gas company, which here is PSE&G. Any requests for a tap should be directed toward them.

I realize that this idea is probably going to get a Nimby  response from some people in Princeton, but perhaps this is one time that the benefits to the majority outweigh the objections of a minority. As we move forward into an age of increasing fossil fuel scarcity, the concept of being able to tap such an energy source within our own town seems quite desirable, particularly since (a) the pipeline is being built anyway, allowing the tap to be installed before the pipeline is in use, and (b) the opportunity to install a tap later may disappear, as natural gas supplies become less abundant.

Ronald C. Nielsen

Humbert Street