Beware of the pipeline

March 15, 2024

Cycling along the Maryland side of the Potomac River, I came across this little warning sign. It cautions workers from doing any type of digging on the site due to the oil pipeline running underneath it. The pipeline cuts across the Potomac river somewhere near Blockhouse Point Conservation Park and Trail, and, as it can be seen in both photographs, it reaches to the Seneca Regional Park on the Virginia side. What fascinated me most was how small and unassuming the sign is. It appears to be a warning only for those familiar with such signage and not for the average hiker or cyclist. It is too small, hard to read and easy to ignore if you are just passing by. It's a good example of how ecologically damaging energy industry operates always hidden in plain sight.