Megabullshit

The Idaho Legislature is moving to block citizen lawsuits over giant megaloads on the state’s highways, with legislation clearing the House Monday to require a big up-front cash bond from anyone filing such a lawsuit.

LINK (Via: The Spokesman Review)

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.

Cutting the Tar Sands Tentacle with Rick Bass and David James Duncan

Here is a link to the audio from last week's Orion Community Conversation with authors Rick Bass and David James Duncan.

As the massive mega-load truck convoys roll into Montana, they create a beastly "tar sands tentacle" all the way to Canada. Resistance to it is mounting. Bass and Duncan set aside other writing projects recently to coauthor a vitally important book on the topic, The Heart of the Monster. During this free live event, they will read from the book, lead a discussion of what is being done to combat "the haul," and answer your questions.

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)

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.