Dear Editor:

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Picture this: aging pipelines beneath the streets of a city spring leaks and spew toxic gas into the air, poisoning the environment, killing plants, and making it hard to breathe. Now imagine that the residents of that city are stuck with the bill for the gas lost in the pipeline leak! Is this some dystopian future? No – this is actually happening, today, in Somerville and across the Commonwealth.