LINE 5

    KEYSTONE XL  is probably more recognizable to folks around here than LINE 5 is, but the latter is located closer to our homes and maybe even closer to your cottage. Line 5 is a pipeline that carries lots of petroleum products from Superior, Wisconsin to Sarnia, Ontario and it passes under the Straits of Mackinac which is the focus of concern. It is closer than you think. If the pipes there were to burst, the oil could, depending upon the currents and weather, end up in a Great Lake near you. If it is shut down to prevent such a catastrophe, people around here will lose their jobs and the price of our gasoline will probably go up. 

   Those are the concerns expressed in the article from which the picture above was taken. In it, the Prime Minister is asked for help since Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer has ordered that Line 5 be shut down, and it will be in early May unless something is done. Perhaps that is why some 'Yoopers' with long guns showed up at the state house in Lansing, since they may not have enough propane if Line 5 is put out of commission. Perhaps some Canadians would have joined them if the border had been open. There seems to be more concern on this side of the border about the loss of the energy source than there is about the potential despoliation of the environment. Those who favour keeping the pipeline open say it has been there since 1953. Those who worry about the environment say, well, it has been there since 1953!

   The noise over Line 5 and the news about it will surely increase over the next couple of months as will the arguments. So, here are a few sources that will give you a leg up when the subject comes up. I will start with the article containing the picture.

Sources: 

For the company view start here: ENBRIDGE. 
There is a Wikipedia entry: Enbridge Line 5 

"Prime Minister Asked to Help Save Line 5 Pipeline," Paul Morden, Sarnia Observer, Jan. 18, 2021.
Sarnia-area politicians and labour leaders want Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to appeal directly to U.S. President-elect Joe Biden to keep the Line 5 oil and gas pipeline running through Michigan, where the state’s Democratic governor has ordered it shut down....
Sarnia Mayor Mike Bradley wrote to the prime minister this month challenging the legality of the governor’s order and asking Trudeau to speak with Biden directly on the issue. Line 5 carries western oil and natural gas liquids to the refineries, chemical plants and propane users in the U.S. Midwest, as well as Eastern Canada....
This shutdown will put over 4,900 jobs at risk, and jeopardize Ontario and Michigan’s energy supply that we rely on daily,” Greg Rickford, Ontario’s minister of energy, northern development and mines, said in a statement, "Ontario’s four refineries ensure that Ontario, Quebec, Michigan and the entire Great Lakes region are supplied with essential products like home heating fuels, gasoline, diesel and jet fuel,” he said.

"Canadian Officials Displeased With Whitmer's Call to Shut Down Line 5 in Straits

Keith Matheny Nov. 16, 2020, Detroit Free Press.

"U.S. News: U.S., Canada at Odds Over Great Lakes Pipeline," Vipal Monga, The Wall Street Journal, Jan. 20, 2021.

TORONTO -- Canadian and U.S. officials are at odds over the fate of a pipeline underneath the Great Lakes, exacerbating disagreements over energy policy between the two nations as the Biden administration prepares to take office.

Citing environmental concerns, Michigan state officials have told Enbridge Inc. to close its Line 5 pipeline, which carries more than half a million barrels of oil and natural-gas liquids each day from Superior, Wis., to Sarnia, Ontario.

Canadian officials say closing the pipeline would choke off more than half the supply used to make gasoline, jet fuel and home-heating oil for the most populous parts of the country.

The 645-mile pipeline, which is part of Enbridge's mainline system that conveys oil and natural gas liquids from Alberta, feeds refineries in Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Ontario and Quebec.

"Pipelines are so vital to the economy and the recovery," said Chris Bloomer, president of the Canadian Energy Pipeline Association, a trade group. "We're hoping for some pragmatism."

 CBC: Enbridge sues Michigan over Line 5 pipeline shutdown order.

   Although the pipeline has been in place for over 60 years, a few years ago a ship dragging an anchor did some damage to it. At that time, there was talk about enclosing it in a tunnel which would have resulted in many jobs on both sides of the border.
"Coast Guard inspected ship before Line 5 anchor dragging,"Beth LeBlanc, Sept. 13, 2020, The Detroit News.

   You may also remember that Enbridge had a problem over a decade ago with the great Kalamazoo River Oil Spill. 

"Reeling’ From COVID, Great Lakes Biz Group Joins Call for Immediate Line 5 Shut Down,"by Andy Balaskovitz,  Tuesday, June 23, 2020.

This is from the Sierra Club - Michigan and it has good graphics and video: "EVERY DAY 67-YEAR-OLD PIPELINES PUSH NEARLY 23 MILLION GALLONS OF OIL THROUGH THE HEART OF THE GREAT LAKES. WHAT IF THEY RUPTURED?"

Decomission Line 5.

National Wildlife Federation

"Gov. Whitmer’s Historic Decision to Shut Down Line 5 a Game Changing Win for the Great Lakes, Wildlife, Climate." Mike Saccone Nov 13, 2020.

Canada to Michigan on Line 5: “We support its continued safe operation”

Here is a major study from the University of Michigan: "Worse Case Oil Spill Straits of Mackinac."

Here is another major study. It is behind a firewall, but the executive summary is provided here:
"Economic Damages From a Worst-case Oil Spill in the Straits of Mackinac. Journal of Great Lakes Research, Richard T. Maelstrom , et al 45, 2019, p.1130.

This paper presents research on the economic damages from a hypothetical worst-case oil spill at the Straits of Mackinac between Lakes Huron and Michigan. This spill could occur because the Enbridge Line 5 oil pipeline traverses the Straits between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsula. We quantify potential economic damages to outdoor recreation, commercial fishing, shipping, residential properties, and energy and water supplies. Damages are estimated for two spill scenarios occurring at the onset of the summer tourism season with extensive shoreline oiling. Using evidence from past spills, economic damages would last for between one and two years and would affect locations on the periphery of the spill area, depending on the activity. We project the loss from the worst-case scenario would be at least $1.3 billion.

To further complicate the controversy, there are also Indigenous issues to consider: "The Drilldown: Enbridge's Line 5 Pipeline to Be Challenged by Four Indigenous Nations," Felixe Denson, iPolitics, Aug. 20, 2020. 

To read about the Great Lakes, see my post on "The American Lakes" - Book Series.

The Bonus:

   I mentioned "YOOPERS" above and they are people from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and they likely weren't the only ones involved, if any actually were.  For more on YOOPERS and such things, see my post on UNOBVIOUS DEMONYMS.

LINE 5 AGAIN

 

STILL UNDER THE WATER AND UNDER THE RADAR

   Just over a couple of years ago I wrote about Line 5 and in the post you will see a picture of the the Sarnia-Lambton MP, Marilyn Gladu pointing toward a sign indicating that many in the area would lose jobs if Line 5 was shutdown. Background was provided along with some sources and you can read it here. 

  If you are like many others, you probably don't recognize Line 5 which is not as well known as Keystone or even the long ago Maginot. It carries fossil fuels from Alberta all the way to Sarnia and beyond. It helps keep things running and people warm. A couple of years ago, Governor Gretchen in Michigan ordered it shut down, which is why I wrote about it. Now a judge in Wisconsin again has ordered it shut off. Canada has objected again and the oil continues to flow. 

  I find it curious that the issue is not much discussed. The more recent Line 5 ruling involves Indigenous rights because the pipeline passes through land occupied by the Lake Superior Chippewa in Wisconsin. I can understand why many don't care about that and I realize that it is likely that you are about to stop reading.

  But, the earlier shut down ordered by Governor Whitmer was requested because of environmental concerns. The pipeline, you see, runs under the Straits of Mackinac and it is argued that a rupture of it would be devastating for not just one Great Lake. Line 5 turned 70 this year and perhaps, in 'pipeline years', it is older than both President Biden or aspirant Trump and age is a factor that should be considered. As well, pipelines can be treated just as roughly as presidential candidates.  Plus, there have been other spills involving Enbridge pipelines including one fairly close by in the Kalamazoo River.

  Even more curious is the fact that it is the Canadian government that opposes the shutdown. It would be less curious, perhaps, if the government was a Tory one. It is not surprising, however, that even Trudeau wants to keep things as is, since state, provincial, federal, international, Indigenous, labour and environmental actors are involved and most Canadians seem not to be worried about a pipe that may not burst.

Sunset on the Mackinac Straits

  Sources:

   This recent piece explains the situation well. It is found in a publication with a fine subtitle: "Michigan Pipeline Standoff Could Affect Indigenous Rights Across the US," Mike Shriberg, The Conversation: Academic Rigour, Journalistic Flair, August 16, 2023. It was republished in The Detroit Free Press on Sept.10, under this title: "Proxy Fight in Straits Could Decide Who Gets to Draw a Line in Sand." The text is presented here and parts of it are bolded by me for emphasis. It is followed by the more recent shutdown ruling.

As the author of the article says at the end, "Your Turn."

The article:

"Should states and Indigenous nations be able to influence energy projects they view as harmful or contrary to their laws and values? This question lies at the center of a heated debate over Enbridge Energy's Line 5 pipeline, which carries oil and natural gas across Michigan and Wisconsin.

Courts, regulatory agencies and political leaders are deciding whether Enbridge should be allowed to keep its pipeline in place, with upgrades, for another 99 years. The State of Michigan and the Bad River Tribe in Wisconsin want to close the pipeline down immediately.

My expertise is in Great Lakes water and energy policy, environmental protection and sustainability leadership. I have analyzed and taught these issues as a sustainability scholar, and I have worked on them as the National Wildlife Federation's Great Lakes regional executive director from 2015 until early 2023.

In my view, the future of Line 5 has become a defining issue for the future of the Great Lakes region. It also could set an important precedent for reconciling energy choices with state regulatory authority, and Native American rights.

A Canadian pipeline through the US Midwest

Line 5, built in 1953, runs 643 miles from Superior, Wis., to Sarnia, Ontario. It carries up to 23 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids daily, produced mainly from Canadian tar sands in Alberta.

Most of this oil and gas goes to refineries in Ontario and Quebec. Some remains in the U.S. for propane production or processing at refineries in Michigan and Ohio.

Controversy over Line 5 centers mainly on two locations: the Straits of Mackinac, and the Bad River Band Reservation in Wisconsin, where the pipeline crosses tribal land.

Line 5 crosses through the open water of the Straits of Mackinac in twin pipelines that rest on the lake bottom in some stretches, and are suspended above it in others. The route lies within an easement granted by the State of Michigan in 1953.

The Straits of Mackinac are one of the most iconic settings in the Great Lakes. They include hundreds of islands and miles of shorelines rimmed with forests and wetlands. Scenic Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, a popular resort area since the mid-1800s, is Michigan's top tourist destination.

The straits also have long been spiritually important for Great Lakes tribes. Michigan acknowledges that the Chippewa and Ottawa peoples hold treaty-protected fishing rights that center on the Mackinac region.

The Line 6b spill

In 2010, another Enbridge pipeline, Line 6b, ruptured near the Kalamazoo River in southern Michigan, spilling over 1 million gallons of heavy crude. Line 6b is part of a parallel route to Line 5, and the cleanup continues more than a decade later.

The spill, and Enbridge's slow, bungled response and lack of transparency, led to scrutiny of other Enbridge pipelines, including Line 5.

In a 2014 analysis, University of Michigan oceanographer David J. Schwab concluded that the Straits of Mackinac were the "worst possible place" for a Great Lakes oil spill because of high-speed currents that were unpredictable, and reversed frequently. Within 20 days of a spill, Schwab estimated, oil could be carried up to 50 miles from the site into Lakes Michigan and Huron, fouling drinking water intakes, beaches and other critical areas.

This, and other research, intensified a burgeoning advocacy campaign by pipeline opponents, including regional and national environmental organizations, Indigenous leaders and advocates and a newly formed network of local and regional businesses.

Pipeline supporters include the American Petroleum Institute and others in the fossil fuel industry, many conservative lawmakers, several key labor unions and the government of Canada. They argue that the current pipeline is safe, violates no federal laws and is a key piece of infrastructure that helps keep energy costs low.

Michigan revokes its easement

After years of scrutiny, including the formation of the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board and two expert reports commissioned by the state, analyses showed that Enbridge was violating provisions of its easement. Most notably, the section of Line 5 that ran under the straits lacked proper anchors and coating, increasing the threat of a rupture. The state concluded that the easement violated the public trust doctrine — the idea that government should protect certain natural resources, including waterways, for public use.

State reports concluded that the highest risk for rupture was from anchor strikes. Environmental nongovernment organizations found that Line 5 had already leaked more than 1 million gallons of oil and natural gas liquids. On April 1, 2018, a boat anchor struck the pipeline and nearly ruptured it, temporarily shutting Line 5 it down.

In 2019, Gov. Rick Snyder was succeeded by Gretchen Whitmer, who pledged in her campaign to close Line 5. Seeking to avert a shutdown, Enbridge proposed building a tunnel beneath the lake bed to protect the pipeline.

But after more analysis — and another anchor strike that temporarily shut down the pipeline again — Whitmer issued an order in November of 2020 revoking Enbridge's easement and giving the company six months to close Line 5. The state sought a court order to support its decision.

Instead of accepting state orders, Enbridge resisted. The company argued that Michigan lacked authority to tell it how to manage the pipeline, that the project had not required an easement in 1953, and that building the tunnel would mitigate any risks.

Enbridge sued Michigan in federal court, arguing that pipeline safety regulation was a federal issue, and that the state had no authority to intervene in what was essentially international commerce.

Challenging state and tribal authority

Enbridge also faced pressure from the Bad River Tribe in Wisconsin, where some 12 miles of the pipeline runs through the Bad River Band reservation and across the Bad River. Enbridge's easement on parts of the reservation expired in 2013, and in 2017 the tribal council voted to evict Enbridge from their land, calling the pipeline a threat to the river and their culture.

When Enbridge continued operating Line 5, the tribe sued the company in federal court in 2019, charging it with trespass, unjust enrichment and other offenses, and sought to get the pipeline closed.

Today, Michigan's case against Enbridge is bogged down in jurisdictional battles. But on June 16, 2023, the federal judge overseeing the Bad River case ruled largely in favor of the tribe and ordered Enbridge to stop operating the pipeline on tribal land within three years. Enbridge vowed to appeal the ruling, but is also seeking permits for a 41-mile reroute of Line 5 around the reservation.

A national precedent

Line 5 is more than a Michigan issue. It has become a focus for national activism and is a major diplomatic issue between Canada and President Joe Biden, who has worked to balance his ties with organized labor and his support for a clean energy transition, and has avoided taking a side to date.

To continue operating Line 5, Enbridge will have to convince the courts that its interests and legal arguments outweigh those of an Indigenous nation and the State of Michigan. But if the courts rule against Enbridge, it would be the first time an active fossil fuel pipeline has been closed due to potential environmental and cultural damage.

The outcome could set a precedent for other pipeline and fossil fuel infrastructure battles, from the mid-Atlantic to the Pacific Coast. Ultimately, in my view, Line 5 is an under-the-radar but critical proxy battle for how, when and under what authority the phasing out of fossil fuels will proceed.

Mike Shriberg is a professor in the School for Environment & Sustainability at the University of Michigan, a former Great Lakes Regional Executive Director for the National Wildlife Federation, and a former gubernatorial appointee under Gov. Rick Snyder to the Michigan Pipeline Safety Advisory Board. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.

Your Turn

Mike Shriberg

The New Shutdown Order

"Undo Line 5 Shutdown Order, Federal Government's Filing Urges U.S. appeals Court, The Canadian Press, Sept. 18, 2023

WASHINGTON — "Ottawa is urging a U.S. appeals court to reverse a Wisconsin judge's order that threatens to shut down the Line 5 cross-border pipeline by June 2026.

Forcing a shutdown would violate Canada's treaty rights, government lawyers argue in an amicus brief filed today with the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

A Wisconsin court ruling in June gave Calgary-based Enbridge Inc. an ultimatum: reroute the pipeline around an Indigenous reserve within three years or shut it down.

Enbridge plans a 66-kilometre detour to replace the 19-kilometre stretch that runs through the sovereign territory of the Bad River Band of the Lake Superior Chippewa.

Both sides are appealing the decision — Enbridge wants more time to finish the reroute, while lawyers for the band want the taps turned off for good.

The band and its environmental allies fear a spill inside an ecologically sensitive and flood-prone Lake Superior watershed on the Bad River reserve."

Line 5 (again) and Bill 5

  It is highly likely that lately you have been rather distracted. As a way to get back to work, I will make a short public service announcement about two issues to which we should be paying more attention. 

Hot Water
  Line 5 is a big pipeline carrying lots of oil under the top of the Great Lakes. MM has already covered this issue and if you look at the links below you will even find a map. One of the reasons for your inattention to some important current issues probably has to do with President Trump. Unfortunately he is even involved with this one, but you might have missed it.
   You can start here: "US Army Engineers Decide to Fast-track Great Lakes Tunnel Permits Under Trump Energy Emergency Order," Todd Richmond, AP, April 16, 2025. 
 "The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has decided to fast-track permits for building a protective tunnel around an aging Enbridge oil pipeline that runs beneath a channel connecting two Great Lakes, stoking environmentalists’ fears that the project will escape scrutiny, damage the sensitive region and perpetuate fossil fuel use. The move comes after President Donald Trump issued an executive order in January declaring that the U.S. has become too dependent on foreign energy sources. The order mandates that federal agencies identify energy infrastructure projects for expedited emergency permitting from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency."

  The few Canadian newspapers have only provided a few stories about what could be a major problem and they are also distracted. For example, a quick search of the G&M yielded first a few articles about 'lines' and 'fives' in hockey games, but at least they did report on the report above: U.S. Army Corps Fast-tracks Permitting Process for Contentious Enbridge Pipeline in Michigan," Patrick White, April 16, 2025. 

BILL 5
  This relates to potential legislative action here in Ontario, so surely you missed it because of the hockey games. Here is the official source for information, the title of which is rather different from the next ones provided.
Bill 5, Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, 2025
Lecce, Hon. Stephen Minister of Energy and Mines.

Bill 5 Would End Endangered Species Protections and Attack Clean Energy: Ontario is Scaling Back Species at Risk Protections, Worrying Advocates and Inviting Federal Intervention: New rules narrow habitat definition, remove protections for some species, no longer require recovery plans, Inayat Singh, CBC, April 30, 2025.

   You be the judge. 

The Bonus: 
   We should be paying more attention to WATER. Here is a question about it that was recently asked: "Will We Have to Pump the Great Lakes to California to Feed the Nation?". Jay Famiglietti, NYT, Aug. 5, 2024. You will have to find the answer yourself.
  And, some pure CANCON: "This Region Nearly Ran Out of Water. Locals and Experts Say Other Canadian Towns Should Pay Attention: B.C.’s Sunshine Coast Declared a State of Emergency Due to Drought in 2022." Elizabeth Hoath, CBC Radio, April 27, 2025.

Sources:
  About Line 5 in MM:
Line 5.
Oddments (1)
Line 5 Again

Oddments (1)

 

   In my last post ("A Gathering of Kestertons"), I indicated that I had to figure out what to call short posts, quickly posted en masse. I have decided to label them "Oddments" and produce some since I have written nothing at all for ten days and still have nothing much to write.  I will try to do better in March, unless the weather improves significantly. 

Line 5

  I wrote about Line 5 a year ago and wondered, since it is cold outside and gas prices are very high, if it was soon going to be shut down. The earlier post contains sources and even a map, but if you have forgotten what Line 5 is, it is the pipeline that provides petroleum products to our general area. Governor Gretchen over in Michigan is worried that it may rupture and ruin our Great Lakes. Most on our side of the Lakes, seem to worry much more about having heat and cheap gas, and not many Liberals note the irony involved. 

   I checked; the pipeline is still open and has not yet ruptured.  Apparently we can relax a bit, according to this headline: "Canada Has Replacements for Line 5 if Pipeline Shuts Down, Report Says," James McCarten, The Canadian Press, Feb. 16, 2022. The replacement is Line 78 and I suppose its rupture will be less devastating. The article is linked above, but it does not give the title of the report mentioned in the title of the article. The reason premium subscribers pay big bucks for access to this blog is that such information is supplied. Here it is: "Closing Enbridge's Line 5 Pipeline: What Are the Options and Alternatives Available," by Environmental Defence Canada. The executive summary indicates:
Enbridge’s Line 5 oil and gas pipeline has been the subject of considerable debate. Opponents want the pipeline shut down due to the risk it poses to the Great Lakes, the largest body of freshwater in the world, while proponents of the pipeline have claimed that a Line 5 closure could trigger an energy crisis. But new research shows that a Line 5 shutdown is entirely manageable and that options exist to meet demand for oil and refined products (e.g. gasoline) in Ontario and Quebec without Line 5. This new research also finds that with a planned shutdown of Line 5, any gas price changes would essentially go unfelt by consumers. Our report summarizes the findings of this research. The full research paper is linked within the report.

A link to the report is provided above, along with the citation, so you will be able to find it if the link rots. Let's hope Line 5 does not rupture, while all of this is being sorted out. 

Quote of the Week (2)

  I hope I am sufficiently far enough down the page that no one notices this quotation. It was obviously not produced this week since such a remark would not now be allowed to surface. I did notice it this week, however, and while it is not a good one to display during "Black History Month", I will do so since it perhaps represents the zetigeist of a different period. Here it is: "In a letter to a friend, describing America, Freeman wrote, "This would be a grand land if only every Irishman would kill a negro, and be hanged for it." (No exclamation point required!!)

I will add that the letter writer is Edward Augustus Freeman who was the Regius Professor of Modern History at Oxford. I need not add that I do not endorse the sentiments expressed, since the title of this blog indicates I may have some Irish blood, and like ex-President Carter and Elvis, may even have a bit of black as well. 

Advance Noise Alert

   The days are getting longer, if not warmer, and they will soon be louder. There are many fellows eager to cruise around in the fine weather in noisy cars and they will be joined later by those on motorcycles and crotch rockets, which are usually noisier.  I thought about this because of an article in the New York Times, which indicates that the French are doing something about it: 
"With Sensors on Streets, France Takes Aim at 'Noise From Hell': The French Authorities Are Installing "Sound Radars" in Some Cities to Detect and Photograph Vehicles Making Excessive Noise, Which They Say is a Public Health Hazard," Emma Bubola, Feb. 21, 2022. Here are some sentences from beyond the paywall which you will not be able to surmount:

"When France introduced speed cameras 20 years ago, it drastically reduced the number of car accidents and helped save tens of thousands of lives. Now the government is taking aim at another scourge: the earsplitting noise that has been a fact of life for residents of French cities.

New sensors, or “sound radars,” were placed in seven cities last week as an experiment. The sensors can detect and take pictures of vehicles making excessive noise, a problem that officials say has gotten worse in recent years. The hope is to eventually set a noise-pollution limit and fine those motorists exceeding it....

“If the mayor didn’t buy a radar, we would have bought one ourselves,” said Raphael Bianchi, who lives in the Place de la Bastille in Paris. He said his 1-year-old son was constantly awakened by motorcycles roaring outside their apartment: “It’s unbearable — it’s a constant acoustic aggression.”

The initiative follows a mounting intolerance by the French to street noises, particularly motorcycles and souped-up scooters. According to a study by Bruitparif, a state-backed center that monitors noise in the Paris area, a modified scooter crossing Paris at night can wake as many as 10,000 people.

The center has developed a sensor that is being tested in Paris. At the end of the testing period, in 2023, the city plans to start handing out fines of 135 euros, about $150, to vehicles that break noise-level rules."

 

   You will be pleased to know and I am pleased to be able to offer some Canadian content which indicates that we (or at least the Albertans) are ahead in this regard. Here is what they tried in Edmonton: 
"Microphones on Edmonton Streets Listening for Loud Pipes: Similar to Photo Radar, Cameras With Microphones Set to Target Noisy Aftermarket Exhaust,"

"Four cameras with microphones have been placed throughout the city of Edmonton in an effort to catch drivers and riders with loud exhaust that exceed 85 decibels, the first implementation of this technology in North America.

Along with the four cameras, another four display boards with microphones are being installed at different locations throughout the city.

According to the CBC, city councillors agreed to continue testing the noise-monitoring equipment to determine whether it can be used to enforce extreme noise, similar to how photo radar tickets drivers for speeding. But as this is a test project, there will be no tickets handed out." From, Driving, Aug. 20, 2018. 

The word "Aftermarket" refers to the market for mufflers and "sound boosters" that can increase the sounds your vehicle makes rather than muffle them. 

Some Sources For This Section:

   The NYT article mentions some reports that relate to the health hazards associated with high decibel levels. Here are a couple. By the way, to increase your concern about the noise issue, I should note that the lower classes are more likely to be affected by loud vehicles since social housing is often closer to major thoroughfares. 
The World Health Organization report is: "New Evidence from WHO on Health Effects of Traffic-Related Noise,"March, 2011.

The French report by Bruitparif is available in English: "Transport Noise in Ile-De-France: Exposure to Transport Noise, Particularly in Dense Areas, It a Real Public Health Issue." 

   The decibel laws related to such things are available and vary from city to city. Here is one Canadian source, "Come On, Feel the Noise: How Canada's Noise Regulations Compare City to City," Coleman Molnar, Driving, Mar. 11, 2021. 

Post Script:

 One never knows when such information might be required. For example, residents in our area recently were blinded by "light pollution" which made our back yards light up like Stalag 17 when the prisoners tried to escape at night. The sudden illumination came about when a commercial property nearby, was renovated. The lights have been dimmed somewhat because our dutiful and civic-minded neighbour contacted our local Councillor and the property owner cooperated, even though the London bylaws about "light pollution" are lacking. 

The Bonus For This Section: 

   I recall in my youth, guys in dungarees under cars removing the mufflers all together, or installing "Glasspacks". Such options these days seem better since "backfires" are often emitted as well.

   This all reminded me of the bonus - Suicide Knobs. I learned they are called, more properly - Brodie Knobs. 

Pickleball and Noise Pollution

  If I had any readers who were hotrodders, they would likely chastise me for not also picking on the pickleballers. In my defence, I can only say that I did not realize what a serious problem pickleball noise is. It must be a serious problem since the CBC is concerned, as you will see in this article which has a headline that the headline writer must have enjoyed writing:

Pickleball is One of Canada's Fastest-Growing Sports: But the Paddle and Ball Can Make a Racket - Some Residents Who Live Near Pickleball Courts Have Grown Sour on the Burgeoning Sport," CBC News, Feb. 21, 2022.

"Pickleball has been a blessing for some during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering up exercise, fresh air, and a chance to socialize outdoors. 

But for some who live near pickleball courts, the cacophony that comes with the burgeoning sport can be a curse.  

Many pickleballers play their sport on reconfigured outdoor tennis courts. The sport has ties to tennis, but uses a paddle instead of a racket, and a hard ball instead of a fuzzy tennis ball. The results can be noisy. 

Connie Ball, who lives near pickleball courts in Blue Mountain Park in Coquitlam, B.C., has been fighting against the sound for 18 months.

"You can't go down for a nap," she said of the noise. "It's just invading. It goes right into our home."

The courts in Blue Mountain Park were repurposed in 2020 for pickleball, but after noise complaints from Ball and other neighbours, the city limited play to the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., with a one-hour break at noon."

For now, I will remain silent about this subject. 

Castrati 

The Sad Tale of the Castrated Singing Boys

   I realize that this is a rather abrupt shift in subjects, but surely I am far enough down the page to safely bring up this one.  Although some people appear to think that bad things have happened only in modern times and only to members of a certain sex or ethnic group, in fact, awful things have always happened to everyone. You will know about the castrati and these posts are rather longer than expected so I will get to the point. Young boys with good voices were sometimes castrated so they could continue singing as sopranos for the remainder of their much longer careers. The songs were typically sung in Catholic churches where women were supposed to remain silent, but higher voices needed, What is not usually discussed, is the method of making male children into eunuchs. The issue was raised recently and I happened to notice it. At least now you will know how they did it in olden times. I am still not sure how it was done in the more enlightened 18th century. Gents, you might want to wait for my next post and skip this one. 

What method of castration was used for Byzantine eunuchs?

"Although eunuchs were prominent in Byzantium, few sources deal with the technicalities of castration. The matter was considered too sensitive, distasteful and shameful to discuss openly... Thankfully, there is a Byzantine source that offers a detailed description of the operation. It’s the 7th-c. Medical Compendium in Seven Books by a physician named Paul of Aegina, aka Paulus Aegineta. This influential work discusses castration based not only on theory but also the author’s own medical practice — Paul claims to have performed castrations under pressure from certain powerful people. The methods he goes over are two.

That by compression (kata thlasin) is performed thus: children, still of a tender age, are placed in a vessel of hot water, and then when the bodily parts are softened in the bath, the testicles are to be squeezed with the fingers until they disappear, and, being dissolved, can no longer be felt.

The method by excision (kat’ ektomēn) is as follows: let the person to be made a eunuch be placed upon a bench, and the scrotum with the testicles grasped by the fingers of the left hand, and stretched; two straight incisions are then to be made with a scalpel, one in each testicle; and when the testicles start up they are to be dissected around and cut out, having merely left the very thin bond of connection between the vessels in their natural state. This method is preferred to that by compression; for those who have had them squeezed sometimes still desire intercourse, a certain part, as it would appear, of the testicles having escaped the compression."

The above was taken from Quora Digest, Jan. 5 and was provided by, Eleftherios Tserkezis. 

Sources: 

   I am sure there is a good Wikipedia entry relating to this subject. Those of you who are more serious and concerned about the castrati should see:

"Castrati Choir and Opera Singers," Meyer Melicow and Stanford Pulrang, Urology, Vol. III, No. 5, May, 1974.

"Some authors note that as many as 4,000 to 5,000 youngsters were castrated annually, sacrificed through greed on the alter of music."

   "The Age of the Castrato Voice," Fredrich S. Brodnitz, Journal of Speech and Hearing Disorders," Vol. 40, No.3, Aug. 1975.

"Castration has been administered for punishment or for cruel revenge of which the great Abelard is the best known example.... The castration of children for the sole purpose of producing a special type of voice is a historic phenomenon of unusual interest."

   "The Keepers of the Bed: Castration and Religion," Vincent J. Derbes, JAMA, Vol.212, No.1, April 6, 1970. 

"Partial or complete excision of man's genitalia, castration, eviration or eunuchism, is the most cruel of all mutilations and not the least practiced. According to ancient tradition, the knowledge of castration was obtained from an animal, the castor or beaver, who practiced it upon himself when being hunted, abandoning his testicles rather than allowing himself to be captured.' 

That is enough for this Sunday and Oddments (1) is done. 

Pipelines

Line 5    

  In clear violation of my blogging protocols, I will discuss a couple of current issues, but at least not the pandemic. In my defence I will say that I will focus only on the aspects of the issues which are underreported. Also, it is the case that one of the issues is "Looming", as all the headlines indicate, and by later in the week we will have been dramatically affected by it - or not. 

   Line 5 is the 'looming' issue and I will say little about it since I have already done so in the post which clearly has one of my clearest titles: Line 5.  I even provided a map. It is also is the case that there have been many stories about it. I think it is fair to say, however, that most of them indicate that clearly the shutdown will not happen and that it shouldn't because the economic results would be devastating. That is, our politicians and we Canadians mostly seem concerned only with the economic consequences, while the Governor of Michigan is worried more about the possible environmental impact on the Great Lakes if the pipeline was to burst. The irony was noticed by Rex Murphy as this headline indicates: "How's Trudeau Going to Get Out of this Line 5 Pickle and Keep Oil Flowing?" He notes: "The threat that by May 12, Gov. Whitmer will shut down Line 5 to Ontario, is so beautiful an issue it should be hanging in an art gallery.... For what have we to look at? We have two leaders, Greener than shamrocks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Whitmer, who see themselves plucked by the goddess of destiny herself, as human ambulances rushing to save the Earth from global warming."

   Although I am sure that environmental groups and Indigenous ones think a break in the pipeline would not be a good thing for the Great Lakes, the 'mainstream media' seem to worry only about the business disruption. It is sometimes mentioned obliquely that the environmental impact would be more negative if the line is shutdown, because thousands of rail cars and trucks would have to be utilized to keep us supplied. I have not yet read a good newspaper piece that discusses directly what would happen if millions of gallons of petroleum products started pouring into the Great Lakes.  I suppose it is natural to pay more attention to an event that is supposed to happen on May 12, rather than to hypothesize about one that may or may not occur a few months or years from now. It is also the case that our 'mainstream media' now have few tributaries, most of them issuing from the same source. The only Canadian newspaper I am aware of that has presented the environmental side, is one you probably don't read and may not know about - The National Observer, which recently published this article: "Line 5 is an Environmental Disaster Waiting to Happen," Trevor Greene, April 6, 2021. 

The Colonial Pipeline

   Pipeline problems developed south of the border just a couple of days ago and have yet to be resolved. In this case, the problem is not a pipeline rupture, but rather, a computer breach.  Although the headline in the Washington Post says that a "Ransomeware Attack Leads to Shutdown of Major U.S. Pipeline System," the subject of "Ransomware" is not in the newspapers as much as it could be, and deliberately so. As the article indicates:

"Ransomware attacks, in which hackers lock up computer systems — usually by encrypting data — and demand payment to free up the system, are a global scourge. In recent years, they have affected everyone from banks and hospitals to universities and municipalities — almost 2,400 organizations in the United States were victimized last year alone, one security firm reported. But the attackers are increasingly targeting industrial sectors because these firms are more willing to pay up to regain control of their systems, experts say.

“The downtime for industrial companies can cost millions,” said Robert M. Lee, the chief executive of Dragos, a major cybersecurity firm that handles incidents in the industrial control sector. U.S. officials and experts in industrial control security said such attacks are more common than is publicly known and that most just do not get reported.

Even though many cases are not made public, we sometimes learn about them and they even happen close by.  In December, 2019 you may recall that a ransomware attack cost the city of Woodstock over $600,000 even though the city didn't pay the ransom.

   There is some good news to report from the United States about concerted efforts to deal with the ransomware threat.

A task force of more than 60 experts from industry, government, nonprofits and academia last month urged a series of coordinated actions by industry, government and civil society. Their recommendations include mandating that organizations report ransom payments and requiring them to consider alternatives before making payments. Governments, they said, could provide support to help firms hold out longer. The recommendations also call for global diplomatic and law enforcement efforts to induce countries from providing safe havens to ransomware criminals.

The title of the report: Combatting Ransomware: A Comprehensive Framework for Action: Key Recommendations From the Ransomware Task Force. The link will take you to the 80 pp. report and here is the first paragraph from it:

"Ransomware is not just financial extortion; it is a crime that transcends business, government, academic, and geographic boundaries. It has disproportionately impacted the healthcare industry during the COVID pandemic, and has shut down schools, hospitals, police stations, city governments, and U.S. military facilities. It is also a crime that funnels both private funds and tax dollars toward global criminal organizations. The proceeds stolen from victims may be financing illicit activities ranging from human trafficking to the development and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction."

The Bonus:

   The attack on the Colonial Pipeline appears to have come from an an Eastern European-based criminal gang known as "Darkside" and it was done for money, not for political reasons. The same is true for the major hacking and ransomware assaults initiated by the government of North Korea - they are done mainly for the money. You may recall a hacking event from a few years ago involving North Korea. When Sony Pictures released a trailer for a Seth Rogen comedy about an attempted assassination of Kim Jong Un, a computer attack against Sony was launched that did considerable personal and financial damage (Rogen remarked, "People don't usually wanna kill me for one of my movies until after they've paid 12 bucks for it.")

   That information is from an article that will keep you up at night, or at least make you realize how big a problem 'cyber-warfare' is. Hackers seem to be able to easily get into our computers, so I hope you are able to get behind the firewall to read the article which is a fascinating and scary one: "The Incredible Rise of North Korea's Hacking Army: The Country’s Cyber Forces Have Raked in Billions of Dollars for the Regime by Pulling Off Schemes Ranging from A.T.M. Heists to Cryptocurrency Thefts. Can they be stopped?" The New Yorker, April 26 & May 3, 2021.

I thought former President Trump had solved the North Korea problem. but apparently not. 

  

Old Posts Addenda (5)

 A Baker's Half-dozen 
   Here are some "Breaking News" items relating to subjects already covered in MM. 

1. A Big Bird Kill
   There is a flock of posts in MM relating to birds of various kinds and a few have been devoted to the losses in the avian world. In "Passenger Pigeons", their disappearance was lamented and a description of a large flock over the Bruce Peninsula long ago is provided. Readers of The Times (of London) used to write letters to that paper about the spotting of the first cuckoo in the spring. Now they are rarely seen and the song of the nightingale seldom heard ("Books of The Times.") 
   Soon it is the murres we will be missing.
"Scientists Just Confirmed the Largest Bird-killing Event in Modern History: A Marine Heat Wave in the Pacific Ocean That Began a Decade ago Killed some 4 Million Common Murres in Alaska, Researchers say," Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post, Dec. 12, 2024.
"It would take years of study to confirm they had witnessed the largest die-off of any bird species ever recorded in the modern era, according to new research published in the journal Science on Thursday.... The killing was an order of magnitude larger, she said, than the hundreds of thousands of murres that perished in the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.“We’ve had lots of long-term declines that have been observed in wildlife,” she said. “But what’s really different here — that we haven’t seen before — is this really swift catastrophe where in one year we have half the population of this really abundant seabird just wiped out.”

2. What Will Eat the Dead Buzzards?
   The "Vanishing Vultures" in India that were written about in MM in 2017 are in the news again. See:
"The Hidden Value of Vultures: "Researchers believe a massive die-off of the birds led to over 100,000 additional human deaths per year in India, by Ian Rose, The Washington Post, September 14, 2024 and
"How a Crisis for Vultures Led to a Human Disaster: Half a Million Deaths The birds were accidentally poisoned in India. New research on what happened next shows how wildlife collapse can be deadly for people," Catrin Eihorn, NYT, July 29, 2024.
   "Now, economists have put an excruciating figure on just how vital they can be: The sudden near-disappearance of vultures in India about two decades ago led to more than half a million excess human deaths over five years, according to a forthcoming study in the American Economic Review."
  Rotting livestock carcasses, no longer picked to the bones by vultures, polluted waterways and fed an increase in feral dogs, which can carry rabies. It was “a really huge negative sanitation shock,” said Anant Sudarshan, one of the study’s authors and an economics professor at the University of Warwick in England...."
"The findings reveal the unintended consequences that can occur from the collapse of wildlife, especially animals known as keystone species for the outsize roles they play in their ecosystems. Increasingly, economists are seeking to measure such impacts."

    The buzzards are also disappearing in other places. 
“To Save a Scavenger: Why Vultures Need Our Protection," Mary Cunningham, Columbia Magazine, Spring/Summer 2024.
   "Vultures, known (and notorious) for their penchant for rotting flesh, have experienced major population decline over the last few decades, due in large part to poisoning, explains Kendall. Hunters often put pesticides on carcasses to kill the scavengers, making it harder for law enforcement to detect illegal poaching (“circling vultures can indicate the presence of a large carcass and therefore help rangers find dead elephants”). Additionally, farmers sometimes use poison to retaliate against predators that kill their livestock. “When the vultures feed on the bodies, they die within a few hours,” says Kendall, adding that vultures are also sometimes killed by superstitious locals who see them as bad omens."

3. Too Many Crows: The Rochester Roost
   A few years ago you were told about the very large number of crows in Burnaby and when we were in Vancouver recently we saw them at dusk everyday flying over and heading there,(see "A Murder of Crows".) "The Purple Martin Problem" in Nashville was noticed more recently and now there is a big murder of crows close by in upstate New York.
  "Where It Isn’t Christmas Until the City Shoots Lasers at 20,000 Crows: In Rochester, N.Y., every year in early December thousands of crows descend on the city, which tries to shoo them away with loud noises and bright lights," David Andreatta, NYT, Dec. 14, 2024.
  "In Rochester, N.Y., there are telltale signs that the holiday season is underway.Santa’s workshop opens at the outdoor ice rink downtown. There is the lighting of the pyramid of kegs at the local brewery. Productions of “A Christmas Carol” and “The Nutcracker” begin.Then there are the tens of thousands of crows that descend on the city every day at dusk in early December, and the fireworks and lasers that are deployed to drive them away.City officials and wildlife experts estimate upward of 20,000 crows roost downtown nightly.“It’s like you’re in ‘The Birds,’” said Rachel Kudiba, referring to Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film about birds on a murderous rampage."

4. Line 5
   Line 5 is that pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac where we hope it does not rupture. This is about Line 6 which just did. Here is the story:
"Enbridge Pipeline Spills 260,000 litres of oil in Wisconsin," A.P., Dec.14, 2024.
   "Line 6 is a 748.3-kilometre pipeline carrying crude oil from Superior, Wisconsin, to a terminal near Griffith, Indiana, according to a company map. Critics noted the spill was discovered during the same week that Wisconsin regulators approved the first permits for Enbridge’s plan to move the aging Line 5 pipeline around the Bad River Band of Lake Superior Chippewa reservation. Opponents said it would still threaten the region’s watershed and perpetuate the use of fossil fuels." 
For Line 5 in MM: see, e.g. "Line 5" and "Line 5 Again."

5. "I'll Bet Ya!"
   I am willing to bet the issue of gambling will soon be as big as the debts being accrued. Among the many posts about betting in MM, this one discussed the large wagers placed by someone named "DRAKE" and Phil Mickleson,(see, "ON Betting.") They are not the only one making big bets.
"Bettor Places Largest NFL Wager of the Year: $3.1Million on the Eagles-Panthers Game," Ben Fawkes, Dec.7, The Athletic. 
On Thursday afternoon, Circa Sports reported taking a $3.1 million wager on the Eagles moneyline (ML) against the Carolina Panthers. The wager was placed at -700 odds, meaning the bettor will win roughly $442,850 if the Eagles win the game straight up...."
He won, by the way: #3.1 Million Bet on Eagles Wins After Panthers' Dropped Pass," David Purdum, ESPN, Dec.8, 2024.

Cathal Kelly is the best reason to get a subscription to the Globe and Mail and he picked Gambling Promotors as major sports villains this year: "Sporting Heroes and Villains From 2024," Dec. 25, 2024:
"Gambling promoters: Gambling is legal. Once upon a time, so was drinking and driving.
Using that fig leaf, Canada’s broadcasts and pages are full of people you recognize encouraging fellow citizens with far less than them to blow their rent money betting the under.
Driven by the NHL and its flunkies in the sports media, it is an unalloyed display of amoral greed. Some day, it will be seen as a national embarrassment. Until then, we will continue doing the Canadian thing by pretending that because it doesn’t affect anybody we know, it’s not happening."

Thomas's "The Cotton Bowl" (2011)

6. A Black Sculpture By a Black Sculptor
   In a post about Hank Willis Thomas you learned about a work of his - which was inspired by an event in the 1960s on the Eastern Shore of Maryland -  now resides in a Vancouver back yard. He continues to sculpt and is doing well. For the post see: "A Black Sculpture.")
"Hank Willis Thomas Sees What America Can't Say: In His Art About Race and Freedom, He Asks Us to Look Closer, and Think Twice," Robin Givhan,The Washington Post, Aug. 16, 2024.
"Over the years, Thomas has blossomed into a public artist. His large-scale sculptures, often inspired by photographs, are now part of landscapes across the country. [and even in Canada.]

7. More Pictures From An Institution
   This title was borrowed from Randall Jarrell and I have used it before. It is found in a post about "Jasper Cropsey" and the controversy that ensued when one of his paintings was sold by the University of Western Ontario. A similar controversy is unfolding in Indiana where, you may be surprised to learn, Valparaiso University is located. 
  UWO needed money back in 1980, just as Valparaiso does now. That University came up with a plan to sell some paintings so new dormitories could be built. The justification for selling the paintings needed a legal basis and the University devised a way of characterizing the paintings so they could be sold without violating the terms of the donation. The former director of the Museum which held the paintings said, “I think it was a clever way of trying to pick at the validity of the paintings, and it was done because they thought they wouldn’t have to answer to anyone but the judge..." 
   This controversy needs more space than can be utilized here. You can learn about the "Cropsey Controversy" at UWO by looking at my earlier post. As well, there was a more recent controversy when the Western History Department had to come up with a way to keep a donor's money, while dropping the donor's name (see "Western and the Hilborn Issue.") For the issue in Indiana, see this article:
"To Sell Prized Paintings, a University Proclaims They’re Not 'Conservative': ‘Valparaiso University is arguing it should never have acquired two paintings, including a Georgia O’Keeffe, in the 1960s. It hopes to sell them to pay for dorm renovations," Annie Agular, NYT, July 19, 2024.
   "An Indiana judge is facing that very question as Valparaiso University contends that it should be able to sell high-value paintings it owns, including a Georgia O’Keeffe landscape of the New Mexico desert, in order to finance a renovation of freshman dormitories.When the private, nonprofit university announced its plan last year, it said the sale was necessary because enrollment had declined, which has also prompted the school to cut some programs and positions. After opposition to the sale of the art that had long hung in its on-campus museum, the college is now arguing before a court that selling two of the paintings is justified because they should never have been acquired in the first place."
  By the way, perhaps the committee that purchased the paintings now up for sale should be re-constituted to handle Valparaiso's investment portfolio:
 The university’s petition says the committee bought the O’Keeffe in 1962 for $5,700 and the Hassam in 1967 for $9,000. “Rust Red Hills” renders New Mexico mountains in draping, muscular forms, and “The Silver Veil and the Golden Gate” explodes a pre-bridge San Francisco Bay into an impressionistic light-dappled array.
   Those modernist American landscapes are now the most valuable works in the Brauer’s collection. Appraisals commissioned by the university estimated fair market values of $10.5 million to $15 million for the O’Keeffe and $1 million to $3.5 million for the Hassam. (The Church is valued at $1 million to $3 million.)

Post Script: 
   The Cropsey post also contains some information about another art controversy at Fisk University and other collections at Dubuque and Colby. Given that such controversies are likely to increase as university budgets decline, the link to the Task Force For the Protection of University Collections --Tookit provided in that post and again above, could be useful. 

The Bonus: 
  Art collections at universities can be valuable resources for the surrounding community as well. For some of the better ones see this article:
"The Best College Art Museums in America: The Post's Art Critics Pick Their Favorite Museums at Colleges and Universities Across the U.S.", The Washington Post, Oct. 24, 2024.
Here they are:
Blanton Museum of Art, University of Texas at Austin
Cantor Arts Center, Stanford University Harvard Art Museums RISD Museum Yale University Art Gallery Those who commented on the article mentioned, Smith College, the Stanley Museum of Art at Iowa and the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame. Several mentioned that Princeton was constructing a major new one.    

Victory Gardens

 Bill 5 (again)
   At the beginning of this month you will find this post in MM which is linked here: "Line 5 (again) and Bill 5."  Line 5 has to do with the potential for the loss of a great deal of fresh water from the Great Lakes and Bill 5, many believe, will lead to the loss of farmland here in Ontario. That post has some useful links and I will add more below.

  After the recent U.S. presidential election and the tariff announcement(sss) there was a brief moment of Canadian camaraderie, as well as come concern that perhaps we got too much stuff, including food, from sources that might no longer be available. Some began thinking that we should be more careful with the land down here since it is better than land above here where it is also colder.
  At least a few people continue to worry about the loss of farms and you may have received an email from some of them containing this sentence: "Every day we lose 319 acres of farmland in Ontario – that’s the equivalent of nine family farms." If you did not receive such a message that may mean that you are not concerned and, as well, believe it might be just more "fake news." Some additional sources related to these issues are provided, but you only have to circumnavigate London (not an easy thing to do) to see the good land receding like water at low tide.

What About the Victory Gardens?

  Such gardens were typically planted during the war and you don't have to be a "prepper" worried about an apocalypse to think about growing your own food or to at least start thinking about where it comes from and how to get some. 

Sources:
  Read Bill 5 and decide for yourself. It supposedly will "Protect Ontario By Unleashing Our Economy."
  For agricultural land loss in Ontario:
319 Acres: What Does It Mean?
A Waterloo example: "70% of Wilmot Farmland Secured for Future Industrial Site, Region Says," CBC News, May 14, 2025
  For a grow-your-own Victory Garden:
  The Wikipedia entry is a good place to start and then see, "Victory Gardens" in The Canadian Encyclopedia. 
There are many more including: "How Can Your Start Your Own 'Victory Garden," CBC News, April 11, 2023 and from the good Old Farmer's Almanac, "Planning a Victory Garden", Robin Sweetser, May 15, 2025.

Water Woes

 

   Although I would prefer to avoid the awful things now occurring, a recent article compels me to issue this alert: "Our drinking water may soon disappear!"

   I read the article which is the first one listed above and both the graphic and the article are from the New York Times. It was written by a team and the data supporting it were substantial. The other articles pictured above constitute a series and there may be more. If you can access them, do so. "America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There's No Tomorrow," is in the Aug. 28 issue. The "Big Farms" one is from Sept.3, the "Colorado City" one from Sept.5 and the "Monster Fracks" from Sept.25.

   I will offer my simple summary of the core article by suggesting that we are all living in Arizona now and that assertion is based on a lot of data. Here are some extracts from the article:

   "Many of the aquifers that supply 90 percent of the nation’s water systems, and which have transformed vast stretches of America into some of the world’s most bountiful farmland, are being severely depleted. These declines are threatening irreversible harm to the American economy and society as a whole. 

   The New York Times conducted a months-long examination of groundwater depletion, interviewing more than 100 experts, traveling the country and creating a comprehensive database using millions of readings from monitoring sites. The investigation reveals how America’s life-giving resource is being exhausted in much of the country, and in many cases it won’t come back. Huge industrial farms and sprawling cities are draining aquifers that could take centuries or millenniums to replenish themselves if they recover at all.

“There is no way to get that back,” Don Cline, the associate director for water resources at the United States Geological Survey, said of disappearing groundwater. “There’s almost no way to convey how important it is.”

   This analysis is based on tens of thousands of groundwater monitoring wells that dot the nation. The Times collected data for these wells, which are widely scattered and often poorly tracked, from dozens of federal, state and local jurisdictions....

   One of the biggest obstacles is that the depletion of this unseen yet essential natural resource is barely regulated. The federal government plays almost no role, and individual states have implemented a dizzying array of often weak rules....

   The federal government sets rules on groundwater, but not its overuse or depletion, although experts say Congress has the constitutional authority to do so. Overall, federal responsibility for water is scattered among a half-dozen different agencies....

   America’s approach to regulating water is “a total mess,” said Upmanu Lall, director of the Columbia Water Center at Columbia University.

   “From an objective standpoint, this is a crisis,” said Warigia Bowman, a law professor and water expert at the University of Tulsa. “There will be parts of the U.S. that run out of drinking water.”

   In the very near future, thirsty people will be found throughout the country. Minnesota, the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" is not excluded, nor is Maryland, the state in which I grew up. Charles County, "which contains fast-growing suburbs of Washington, has used most of its groundwater for homes and agriculture. And, it isn't coming back anytime soon."

Canadian Content

   Canada is not mentioned, but it is not difficult to find articles that indicate concerns about this commodity in our country. Tofino, one of the wettest places I have been, has nearly a dry reservoir and has issued water restrictions and this headline indicates lack of water is a problem elsewhere: "Gulf Islands Water Woes an Ominous Omen For the Rest of B.C." Also in that province, there are major issues between the U.S. and Canada involving the Columbia River and the water in it and it is not too difficult to imagine that there will soon be increased demands in the U.S. from some of the Great Lakes, one of which supplies water to London. Let's hope that Line 5 does not burst under the Straits of Mackinac.

Post Script:
  The water-related news continues to be bad, which is one reason I decided to bring up an issue we would rather not think about. When you do think about it, you realize that it is rather amazing that we plop down housing developments and assume that water will magically come up to supply the residents. Among the news stories one learns that the folks living in New Orleans soon may run out of drinking water, although they generally have to worry about having too much water, and salt water intrusion is a problem in many coastal areas. (see, for example, "A Saltwater Wedge Climbing the Mississippi River Threatens Drinking Water: New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell Signed an Emergency Declaration Friday as Saltwater Threatens the City," Brady Dennis, Washington Post, Sept. 22, 2023.)

Even the Panama Canal is 'Thirsty.'
   The picture above shows ships waiting to enter the Panama Canal. Who knew that it takes 50 million gallons of fresh water from the Gatun Lake to move one ship through the canal and that daily the Panama Canal uses three times as much water as all of New York city? If you are still waiting for that fridge to come from the Far East, it may be delayed because of a lack of water. (The NASA photograph is found in this article where you can learn more about another cause for supply chain interruptions: "Panama Canal Traffic Backup.")