There is growing concern that the pipelines carrying Canadian tar sands across the Midwest are not as safe as their corporate owners claim.

Since two of these lines owned by Enbridge Inc., Line 13 and Line 61, come within three miles of NIU’s west campus dormitories, students do have a reason to be concerned.

There are numerous examples of problems caused by pipelines, such as spills of the tar sands in Romeoville and in the Kalamazoo River. Closer to home, the subcontractor that Enbridge Inc. hired to build the pumping station for these lines caused damage to the Keslinger Road Bridge.

NIU’s student group, Green Paws Environmental Alliance, the Institute for the Study of the Environment, Sustainability and Energy, and 350kishwaukee.org are addressing these problems in a forum from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today in the Holmes Student Center’s Clara Sterling SkyRoom. The Forum is open to all and is free.