On June 10, 1999 at 3:30 on a beautiful spring afternoon the people of Bellingham learned the hard way that there is a 16 inch pipeline that runs through the middle of our community. Due to lack of care by the pipeline company, and lack of oversight by the responsible government agencies, we here in Bellingham were forced to live through grief unimaginable.

But here in Bellingham once the flames and smoke were gone, the dead were buried and the tears had dried, we did something quite unique in the history of such tragedies. We came together as a community to help those most affected, to heal the creek and land we love, and to try our best to make sure no other community has to experience such needless grief. Through our successes in these efforts we have made great progress in healing ourselves.

These pages tell the story of this journey.

• In 2009 Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire signed a proclamation on June 8th making June 10th "Pipeline Safety Day" in Washington State. Click here to read the proclamation.

• Congressman Rick Larsen introduces a resolution to designate June 10th as National Pipeline Safety Day. Click here to read the resolution.