Send Lawyers Guns and Money

The fight against the megaloads is heading to Federal District Court.

An environmental group wants a federal judge to step in and block plans to haul dozens of oversized truckloads of oil refinery equipment along a northern Idaho highway and federally protected river corridor.

Idaho Rivers United filed its complaint Thursday in U.S. District Court in Boise against the U.S. Forest Service, alleging the agency neglected its duty and federal laws by allowing Idaho officials to give ExxonMobil Corp. permits to haul the giant loads along U.S. Highway 12.

LINK

Here is a link to the Idaho Rivers United Press Release.

The Alberta Tar Sands - The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Along with megaloads rolling through the scenic byways of Idaho and Montana and Enbridges's plan to build dual pipelines to and from the BC coast, the Canadian company TransCanada hopes to build a new pipeline that would bring "oil" from the Alberta Tar Sands to refineries in Texas.

Opposition is building across the Great Plains to this project despite the economic benefits being touted by Transcanada.

New research has just emerged that raw tar sands oil is much more corrosive than standard crude resulting in greater risks for pipeline failures. The report said lines carrying product derived from tar sands are 16 times more likely to leak than lines carrying ordinary crude. Just so happens this new proposed pipeline would travel beneath the Ogallala Aquifer in Nebraska, a huge, shallow water table that provides drinking water for about 2 million people in eight states.

Friends of the Earth has an overview of the project along with a number of ways you can take action.

But in the end the monster's heart collapsed and imploded

Grist Magazine's Erik Hoffner interviews Davd James Duncan regarding The Heart of the Monster, the book he wrote along with Rick Bass in response to the megaload issue.

What is it about "the haul" that most concerns you?

This mega-industrial tentacle, benefiting almost no one but Big Oil, would potentially connect the Alberta Tar Sands -- the largest single greenhouse gas-spewing project in world history -- to the industrial nations of the Pacific Rim (Korea, Vietnam, China, etc.). It would do so via some of the most beautiful highways, tortuous mountain passes, protected wildernesses, green and recreational economies, and stunning wild and scenic rivers in the world. It would cross the lands of three sovereign Indian tribes against the will of those tribes. It would further endanger the Interior West's salmon. It would disgrace the Nez Perce "trail of tears" -- the path Chief Joseph and his people took, leading to the slaughter at the Big Hole Battlefield. And if the tar sands are fully developed, says NASA climatologist James Hansen, climate chaos will be virtually unavoidable. All this for the benefit of Big Oil.

LINK (Via: Grist)

Duncan and Rick Bass will also be part of a call on Tuesday, March 1 at 5:00 pm MST to discuss "the haul," the tar sands, and the grassroots opposition. Folks are invited to join and ask them their own questions about this issue.

All Against the Haul is leading the fight against these big oil megaloads.

Surrealistic Photo Views of Megaload Shipment

Photo by Dave King

Check out the rest at Fighting Goliath.

What was supposed to be a 4 day journey over Lolo Pass is now up to 11 days.

LINK (Via: Pacific Northwest Inlander)

Fish Schtick Episode 60 – Stewardship Spectacular

In episode 60 you’ll hear from three leaders in stewardship today.

Zach Porter – All Against the Haul
All Against The Haul is a homegrown effort working to stop the construction of a permanent industrial corridor for oversized loads to the Alberta Tar Sands through iconic wilderness and sensitive fisheries in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Zach Porter joins us as the voice for this important effort.

Brian Bennett – Wild Steelhead Coalition
Brian is more than your tour guide every week on the Fish Schtick and co-Captain of Moldy Chum. More than the Fly Fishing guy for Patagonia. He’s a board member for the Wild Steelhead Coalition and as long as I’ve known him, he’s voiced the concern that the next generation may not know native, wild steelhead. That’s a painful concern.

Leah Elwell – Clean Angling
Clean Angling is an initiative of the Center for Aquatic Nuisance Species – one of the greatest threats to our waters, aside from the chemicals we put in them, aside from the way we change and manipulate them, are the critters that shouldn’t be in them, but which are – and are spreading. Leah Elwell is the Program Director and she’s an expert on Whirling Disease as well as all these other bad things that are making their way through our aquatic ecosystems.

LINK (Via: Mauro Media)

First Megaload Violates Permit Rules

Before getting a permit to move the giant oil refinery equipment, Conoco Phillips had to agree shipping them would cause no longer than a 15 minute traffic delay for drivers behind them on the highway. A couple of nights ago, KREM 2 News was told the first shipment caused a 59 minute delay at a sharp curve on Highway 12 between Greer and Kamiah.

Opponents of this new industrial corridor have said all along that the megaload route was not engineered for loads of this size.