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Policy Research
The End of the Line: Shutting Down Enbridge Line 5; Still a Pipedream?
Paul Leahy
June 2017
The article is a detailed look into the issues with current laws surrounding oil pipelines, looking specifically at the Enbridge Line 5 pipeline in Northern Michigan. One of the problems highlighted is the lack of transparency from Enbridge on the true condition of the pipeline and the likeliness of an oil spill into the Great Lakes. They use the “confidential business information” designation to withhold information from the public and do not regularly release inspection reports when requested by the State of Michigan. The article also argues that most pipeline-related law is reactive instead of proactive and focus on the aftermath of a spill instead of how to prevent them
The Culture of Health In Early Care And Education: Workers’ Wages, Health, And Job Characteristics
Jennifer J. Otten, Victoria A. Bradford, Bert Stover, Heather D. Hill, Cynthia Osborne, Katherine Getts, Noah Seixas
May 2019
This article finds that Early Care and Education (ECE) workers have poorer health outcomes than the general population, but that more research is needed in order to determine exactly why this is. However, both low wages and high levels of stress were found to be associated with the health outcomes of ECE workers. The study compared ECE centers in Seattle, Washington and Austin, Texas in order to determine what effect wages have on health outcomes for these workers. While both groups seemed to face large mental health issues and stress, the group from Texas also faced physical health challenges. This emphasis on mental health correlates with data; concluding that ECE workers face extremely high levels of clinical depression, even when compared to those living below the poverty line. ECE workers also face high levels of food insecurity and other markers that link to poorer health outcomes.
A Case Study of Zooplankton Response to Oil Contamination as a Predicted Consequence of Pipeline 5 Failure in the Straits of Mackinac, Michigan
Sean Clark
August 2018
This case study looks at how a potential oil spill would affect the zooplankton found in Lake Huron and Douglas Lake. These concerns are related to the Line 5 pipeline that runs in the lake bed of the Straits of Mackinac, which has been deteriorating over the years and poses a potential threat of spilling into the Great Lakes. Zooplankton was collected and exposed to motor oil similar to the SCO (synthetic crude oil) found in the pipeline for 3 days. The results were not entirely conclusive due to human error, but the results did support that zooplankton had high oil ingestion when exposed to the contaminates, allowing for bioaccumulation in the plankton population collected.
Complacency and Automation Bias in the Enbridge Pipeline Disaster
David Wesley, Luis Alfonso Dau
November 2016
This article summarizes how pipeline operators misjudged alarms in the system that could have prevented the severe oil spill in Marshall, MI. Line 6B carried heavy-crude oil and was scheduled for a 30-day shutdown in July 2010, but as the shutdown was taking place, alarms went off signaling low pressure. Operators with decades of experience ignored these alarms and continued to pump oil instead of doing an emergency shut down because they were used to these alarms going off during shutdowns and to them were likely a false alarm. The alarms were actually signaling the leak in the pipeline that would cause billions of dollars in damage and be the largest inland oil spill in US history. This is “automation bias” and is what this article suggests caused the extreme oil spill in the Kalamazoo River.
Asian Carp capable of surviving in much larger areas of Lake Michigan than previously thought
Jim Erickson
August 2019
The article discusses how previous studies have suggested that low food levels in Lake Michigan would prevent the invasive species of Asian Carp from establishing in the Great Lakes, however, these studies do not consider that these carp are opportunistic feeders. This means they can survive on many diets and adapt to eat things that would allow for population success in the Great Lakes. They can feed on a combination of phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fecal matter from mussels, which is enough for them to survive and even gain weight and thrive in the Great Lakes.
Make Them Hear You: Participatory Defense and the Struggle for Criminal Justice Reform
Janet Moore, Marla Sandys, Raj Jayadev
March 2015
The authors of this article argue for a new approach to offering public defense for accused citizens as a new way to challenge mass incarceration. Participatory defense involves a grassroots movements made up of minority communities, those who face charges, and their families who speak out for greater accountability and transparency in the criminal justice system. The authors review empirical, theoretical, and doctrinal perspectives in this article to back their argument of participatory defense. They explain how involving members from communities most effected by mass incarceration is important to lobbying for reform litigation and policies
Uber and Metropolitan Traffic Fatalities in the United States
Noli Brazil, David S. Kirk
July 2016
Since its introduction the ride-sharing application known as “Uber” has grown immensely. Popular among urban dwellers, Uber provides an easy and relatively cheap way for people to get around town. With Uber’s growth the authors of this article set out to study whether or not Uber has reduced the nearly 121 million cases of drunk driving in the United States. Using the one hundred most populated counties the authors compared the availability of Uber with the total, drunk driving related, weekend, and holiday traffic deaths. They used negative binomial and Poisson regression models to measure the outcome. Ultimately they found that the availability of Uber services did not correlate with a decrease in traffic fatalities due to drunk driving.
Increasing incidence of metastatic prostate cancer in the United States
A.B. Weiner, R.S. Matulewicz, S.E. Eggener, E.M Schaeffer
June 2016
The authors of this study examine data from the National Cancer Data Base between 2004 and 2013 to determine if cases of advanced or metastatic prostate cancer increased or decreased. Gathering data on men from 1089 health care facilities in the United States, the authors modeled the information to see if current screening practices were too relaxed. What they found was that the cases of metastatic prostate cancer increased in the United States. These cases increased in men in the age range that could benefit the most from advanced screenings and treatment.
Cost and benefit estimates of partially automated vehicle collision avoidance technologies
Corey D. Harper, Chris T. Henderickson, Constantine Samaras
June 2016
With the introduction of autonomous features in vehicles that can detect and prevent crashes, monitor blind spots, and detect lane drifting, some advocate that these technologies can reduce the amount of crashes that occur each year. The authors of this paper evaluate the benefits of equipping all light duty vehicles with these technologies. Using data from insurance companies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and various research articles, the authors estimate that these technologies can prevent nearly 1.3 million accidents each year and $18 billion dollars in savings. The paper suggests that advancements in these technologies can have even greater overall benefits if all vehicles are equipped with these technologies.
Eat (and Drink) Better Tonight: Food Stamp Benefit Timing and Drunk Driving Fatalities
Chad Cotti, John M. Gordanier, Orgul D. Ozturk
February 2017
The authors set out to investigate whether or not there is a correlation between alcohol related accidents and the timing of food stamp distribution. Using state food stamp distribution dates, enrollment numbers, and weekday alcohol related accidents the authors hypothesized that the distribution of food stamps does have an effect on accidents. Weekends were excluded due to the reasons that alcohol related accidents are more likely to increase regardless of demographic lines. The authors attribute this decline to the “same-day effect.” This is that recipients of food stamps are more likely to stay at home and eat on distribution days