09.27 MDT Leaves Imperial Oil at the Altar
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Greetings, AAtH-Nation. It has indeed been awhile. Your humble blog-mistress has been on hiatus since Judge Dayton issued the ruling granting the preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs in the Montana Megaload lawsuit, because, well, the KMTP has been stopped dead in its tracks, at least for now.
But speaking of Judge Dayton, what the heck has Hizzoner been up to recently?
Well, it turns out he was paid a visit by Imperial Oil. Read on.
07.22 MDT To Fight Ruling, Sort Of
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Now that the dust has settled a bit, let’s take a look at what the papers are saying about our victory in Montana, shall we?
First of all The Missoulian leads off with this headline: Montana Transportation Department says it will fight megaload ruling
07.19 WE WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
This just in from Tom France:
Two months after the hearing on our motion to preliminarily enjoin Imperial Oil from moving massive components across Montana highways to the Alberta tar sands, the Montana District Court just issued an order granting our motion and halting the project. The court held that the Montana Department Transportation violated the Montana Environmental Policy Act by failing to consider alternative routes, failing to consider decommissioning the highway modifications needed for the project and failing to conduct an independent evaluation of the proposal. In so doing, the Court also excused us from any need to post a bond for potential damages to Imperial.
More later, as the news hits the press…
07.19 Let’s Talk about Tar Sands Pipelines and the Spills That Accompany Them
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
While AAtH is a coalition of opponents of the KMTP, aka the ExxonMobil Heavy Haul, many of us extend our concerns beyond just the Heavy Haul and its effect on the PNW to all things Tar Sands related. While life on the KMTP opposition front has been pretty quiet lately as we wait for various legal challenges to work their way through the court systems, pipelines have been hogging the headlines.
So here’s a post dedicated to all things pipeline, and the problems incumbent thereof.
First up: a guest editorial in yesterday’s Billings Gazette wherein the CEO of TransCanada tries to assure us that really, the Keystone XL pipeline is totes safe:
Read the full post: Let’s Talk about Tar Sands Pipelines and the Spills That Accompany Them
07.18 The First of the KMTP Modules Hit the Road in Idaho (and Other News)
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
First, the trucks:
From Oil refinery equipment on the move in N. Idaho:
Read the full post: The First of the KMTP Modules Hit the Road in Idaho (and Other News)
07.18 Take Action: Stop the Port of Lewiston from expanding - add your voice today!
- Posted by Zack Porter
- Call To Action
Don’t delay! Public comments on the Port of Lewiston’s expansion plans are due this FRIDAY, July 22nd. Add your voice against expansions that would facilitate megaload transport.
Read the full post: Take Action: Stop the Port of Lewiston from expanding - add your voice today!
07.15 Farmers and Ranchers Along the Keystone XL Call for Action in Light of Yellowstone Oil Spill
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
It’s apparently not just All Against the Haul anymore, but All Against the Pipeline Too (AAtPT? No, never mind, that sounds too much like something Bill the Cat would have said)
Anyway, back on topic, a group of landowners with property along the proposed route for the Keystone XL pipeline have published Open Letter to Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer Regarding the Keystone XL Pipeline.
07.13 A Message from ExxonMobil Pipeline Company
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Featured Posts
This being the headline of a lovely bit of advertising, by which the entire state of Montana has been blanketed this past week.
As Bernard-Henri Lévy would say: let the deconstruction begin.
Read the full post: A Message from ExxonMobil Pipeline Company
07.12 Take Heart! For Mrs. Pankhurst Has Been Clapped in Irons Again!!!
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
UPDATE: Word on “the street” (aka Facebook) has it that the protesters have been cited and released.
Breaking news - Over 100 Climate Justice Activists Occupy MT Capitol and Tell Gov. Schweitzer- “Big Oil Out of Montana!” today. Five of the protestors have reportedly been arrested.
Read the full post: Take Heart! For Mrs. Pankhurst Has Been Clapped in Irons Again!!!
07.11 The 4 Seasons of Montana: Winter, Winter, Winter, and Road Construction
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Deep Thoughts
UPDATE: MDT employee confirms that megaloads won’t be able to travel through I-90 construction zone! Commentary after the jump.
Much has been made here and elsewhere about ExxonMobil’s plan to move half-size mega-loads over Highway 95 and I-90 instead of over Highway 12. And while that idea is less oh-so-wrong-in-so-very-many-ways than the Hwy 12 plan, it is not without it’s problems, as previously noted.
While driving back over that same I-90 last week - westbound instead of eastbound - I naturally encountered that same road construction going on around Superior. This time I paid a little bit closer attention to what was going on.
Read the full post: The 4 Seasons of Montana: Winter, Winter, Winter, and Road Construction
07.08 Gov. Schweitzer to XOM: BFFs No More!!!
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
What do you do when your best friend starts acting strangely? You’ve just had a great playdate, lots of bear hugs and backslaps as you said goodbye at the gate, promises to call(!) soon(!!), and then—
Something bad happens. You want to believe your best friend is going to do the right thing, right? I mean, aren’t friendships, especially of the BFF variety, supposed to be built on trust? Howevert ...
07.07 MT Governor Schweitzer Accuses ExxonMobil of Lying (For REALS!!!)
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
I love this. I absolutely LOVE THIS!!!
Read the full post: MT Governor Schweitzer Accuses ExxonMobil of Lying (For REALS!!!)
07.06 Linkety-link-link-link
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Greetings, all you out there in AAtH-land. I was on vacation - away from the computer and out of internet range - for awhile, and so have gotten a little behind with the blogging. Following is a quick round-up of what went on in my absence. (Hint: LOTS!!!)
07.05 Urgent Action Call: Email the Corps of Engineers about Port of Lewiston’s Proposed Expansion
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Call To Action
This just in, from the unrepentant Borg:
THE PORT OF LEWISTON has applied for a Corps of Engineers permit to expand the port’s dock to “increase efficiency of the operation, allow berthing of multiple barges, and accommodate loading and unloading of oversized cargo;” that is, to accommodate Big Oil’s big loads. The port’s application brings the Port of Lewiston to the forefront in our fight.
CALL TO ACTION: for everyone, for some of you, and for the rest of us…
06.28 ITD Hearing Officer Recommends OK for Megaloads
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
From the article by Betsy Russell of the Spokane Spokesman Review:
Read the full post: ITD Hearing Officer Recommends OK for Megaloads
06.27 The Road Gets Bumpy…
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
So notes the on-line Seattle news magazine Crosscut in their recent article The road leading to Alberta oil sands gets bumpy
06.24 Missoulian Erroneously Links AAtH to Earth First! Event
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
This morning’s edition of The Missoulian and original on-line article erroneously attributed a statement about an upcoming Earth First! rendezvous to All Against the Haul. We notified the Missoulian of their error and they have corrected the on-line version of Earth First! may target megaloads on U.S. Highway 12.
Read the full post: Missoulian Erroneously Links AAtH to Earth First! Event
06.23 It’s All About the Butterflies, See
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
or so Couer d’Alene’s CDAPress.com would have you believe in their recent editorial Truckloads of controversy:
06.22 Lions! and Tigers!! and MARXISTS!!! (oh my!)
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
Wasn’t it John Keats who told us that “a thing of beauty is a joy forever?”
Well, this guest column published by The Missoulian last Monday is nothing if not a thing of beauty.
Read the full post: Lions! and Tigers!! and MARXISTS!!! (oh my!)
06.20 What’s a multinational oil and gas corporation to do?
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
So asks Kim Briggeman of The Missoulian in the opening line of his article Megaloads: Alberta oil producers look for ways to bypass Montana, Idaho highways.
Read more after the jump.
Read the full post: What’s a multinational oil and gas corporation to do?
06.17 Speaking of the Federal Highway Administration…
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
...it seems that it has been added as a defendant to the lawsuit that Idaho Rivers United filed against the United States Forest Service, for failing to adequately protect the Wild and Scenic nature of the Middle Fork of the Clearwater & Lochsa Rivers.
Read the full post: Speaking of the Federal Highway Administration…
06.16 Group tells legislative panel MDT failed to analyze megaloads’ impact on bridges
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
The “Group” in question being, of course “All Against the Haul.”
And the whole thing was made of awesomeness, I have to say.
Read the full post: Group tells legislative panel MDT failed to analyze megaloads’ impact on bridges
06.15 The Kearl Module Transportation Plan: What You Should Know
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Featured Posts
So promises the headline on advertisements that blanketed Montana newspapers today.
Let’s take a closer look shall we?
Read the full post: The Kearl Module Transportation Plan: What You Should Know
06.13 Couer d’Alene Weighs Risks of Megaloads While Lewiston is Grateful for Delay
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials News
Recent news of note ~ one news article from the Spokane Spokesman-Reviewand one editorial from the Lewiston Tribune:
Mini-megaloads may enter CdA:
Massive cargo would be routed onto I-90
and
EDITORIAL: Megaload critics brought megaload dollars
Excerpts after the jump.
Read the full post: Couer d’Alene Weighs Risks of Megaloads While Lewiston is Grateful for Delay
06.06 A YouTube Film Festival of Anti-megaload Videos
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
Looking for inspiration to continue the fight? Want to learn more - or just be reminded - of what is at stake with the KMTP? Then spend a few minutes checking out this AWESOME assortment of Heavy Haul opposition videos.
Read the full post: A YouTube Film Festival of Anti-megaload Videos
06.03 Hey MDT - Why So Secretive?
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Call To Action
So today I got curious about the details of the permit that MDT issued for the KMTP test module. Like the good little internet nerd that I am, I went to the MDT website and looked up their Motor Carrier Services Division and called the person whose name was listed as the contact person. (Duane Williams is his name, if you all want to know).
Would you like to know what his response was?
06.01 “Thousands and a Myriad. Seems Like That Might Be a Lot”
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
Yes, it would seem that way, wouldn’t it?
So opines the Moscow-Pullman Daily News - the original editorial is behind a subscription firewall but can be accessed here.
Read the full post: “Thousands and a Myriad. Seems Like That Might Be a Lot”
05.27 Good Thing There’s an Alternate Route for Megaloads…
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
...since the KMTP is not a permanent high and wide industrial transportation corridor.
And there are thousands of megaloads waiting overseas to be shipped to the Tar Sands.
Read the full post: Good Thing There’s an Alternate Route for Megaloads…
05.26 “We Have a Shot at Stopping the Tar Sands”
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Featured Posts
For those who were not fortunate enough to be in Portland to hear Winona LaDuke speak about the Tar Sands and the Heavy Haul, there is now a video available.
Read the full post: “We Have a Shot at Stopping the Tar Sands”
05.20 The KMTP is a One-Time Deal…(Really! We Mean It!)...
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
...Except, um, for all those other over-size megaloads that want to use the same route.
For example:
Read the full post: The KMTP is a One-Time Deal…(Really! We Mean It!)...
05.19 In Which: The Testimony of MDT/ExxonMobil Witnesses is Eviscerated
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Here goes, folks.
From Megaload trial Day Two: Imperial says delays affecting work and Final day of megaload trial: DOT avoided using term ‘high-wide corridor’:
Read the full post: In Which: The Testimony of MDT/ExxonMobil Witnesses is Eviscerated
05.18 MDT Megaload Hearing: Let’s Talk About Floodplains
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
From yesterday’s article in The Missoulian:
Robertson, a professional engineer, explained why he found erroneous the EA’s conclusion that the project would have no significant impact on the floodplain. Imperial/Exxon must build or enhance several turnouts on U.S. Highway 12 west of Lolo and elsewhere. One proposed turnout is roughly 13 miles up Lolo Creek, at mile marker 20.3. It’s at a spot where, according to Robertson, the floodplain reaches all the way across the highway. That’s based on revised federal floodplain rules prompted by Hurricane Katrina, he explained. Floodplain maps updated in 2009 with the new regulations don’t consider highway fill as levees, Robertson explained. “Highway embankments can’t function as levees, so it’s not certified as one here,” Robertson said. The environmental assessment didn’t identify milepost 20.3 as encroaching on floodplain, he added. “In fact, nowhere along Highway 12 did it identify that.”
What exactly does this mean? I wasn’t sure when I read it, so I started asking questions - a benefit of working for a Civil Engineering firm. Turns out: that this is a really big deal.
Read the full post: MDT Megaload Hearing: Let’s Talk About Floodplains
05.17 Prominent Economist Testifies that KMTP EA is “an Inadequate, Incomplete Document”
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
That prominent economist would be Dr. Steve Seninger PhD, director of economic analysis and health care policy research at The University of Montana-Missoula Bureau of Business and Economic Research. But what does he know?
Lots, it would seem.
05.16 MDT Heavy Haul Lawsuit Opens with Focus on Water Quality
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Testimony opened this morning in the hearing in which Missoula County and three conservation groups are seeking an injunction against MDT’s approval of the KMTP in Montana.
From The Missoulian‘s Kim Briggeman:
Read the full post: MDT Heavy Haul Lawsuit Opens with Focus on Water Quality
05.16 Montana Megaloads Hearing for Granting a Preliminary Injunction - Day One
- Posted by Zack Porter
- News
Slightly more than a year since the public first learned of Big Oil’s plans to turn communities and highways in rural Idaho and Montana into a permanent industrial corridor to the Alberta Tar Sands, MDT and Imperial Oil found themselves in Missoula court, this morning, defending their Final Environmental Assessment before Judge Dayton of Anaconda.
Read the full post: Montana Megaloads Hearing for Granting a Preliminary Injunction - Day One
05.15 Winona LaDuke Came to Portland and was AWESOME!
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Winona LaDuke made an appearance at the Portland State University Native American Student and Community Center for a “Stop the Tar Sands and Heavy Hauls Teach-in/Salmon Bake” last Friday.
Read the full post: Winona LaDuke Came to Portland and was AWESOME!
05.13 Why Doesn’t ExxonMobil Ever Make the Claim that What They are Doing is Legal?
- Posted by Trish Weber
As I was driving up to Portland today for the Heavy Haul teach-in with Winona LaDuke at PSU (more anon) - this thought occurred to me:
Over and over again, we keep hearing the same message from ExxonMobil:
“...these loads can be transported safely and with minimal disruption to the public. ...”
Read the full post: Why Doesn’t ExxonMobil Ever Make the Claim that What They are Doing is Legal?
05.12 Heavy Haul Trucks Pay for 30% of theCost of Pavement Damage They Inflict..
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Call To Action
...or so say “a handful of activists and their national allies who are ideologically opposed to commerce.” And by that handful of activists and allies I mean, of course, the Idaho Department of Transportation.
Read the full post: Heavy Haul Trucks Pay for 30% of theCost of Pavement Damage They Inflict..
05.11 Washington State Trooper - Say “NO” to Bigger Trucks
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
Tommie Pillow is president of the Washington State Patrol Troopers Association. He is opposed to proposed federal legislation that would allow bigger trucks on the highways, and said so in an Opinion piece published by The Olympian.
Read the full post: Washington State Trooper - Say “NO” to Bigger Trucks
05.09 Federal Rules Apply on Federal Highways*
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
*unless you are Big Oil, of course.
The rule in question, at the moment, centers around the definition of a traffic “delay”.
Read the full post: Federal Rules Apply on Federal Highways*
05.06 ITD Moves Goalposts to Wherever ExxonMobil Happens to Kick the Ball
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
A “test module” for proposed megaloads on U.S. Highway 12 in north-central Idaho that made it into Montana this week took weeks to arrive and caused a five-hour power outage and hour-long traffic delay along the way, but state transportation officials and Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil are calling it a success.
Read the full post: ITD Moves Goalposts to Wherever ExxonMobil Happens to Kick the Ball
05.04 Traffic engineer points to flaws in megaload transport plan
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Continuing with the blogging of the blogging, Betsy Russell reports in Eye on Boise:
Pat Dobie, a traffic engineer who has a consulting business in Boise
the traffic-control plan for the 200-plus proposed Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil megaloads is unclear, suggesting one load would leave Lewiston per day, but there would only be one on the road at a time. If one left every day, there’d be up to three on the road at a time, he said. “It would significantly affect the safety, because instead of having one moving hazard zone, you’re now going to have three moving hazard zones.” It’d also affect the convenience of the traveling public, he said, which could “in theory run into it three times in a single day.”
Read the full post: Traffic engineer points to flaws in megaload transport plan
05.02 The Heavy Haul is NOT To Be Permanent - Except When It Is
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
The Snake River Route will be a game changer for Alberta’s oil sands developers. With access to the west coast, development schedules become more predictable, and construction costs are sustainable based on global rates for materials and labor.
Development of a “high load” corridor from Lewiston, ID to Fort McMurray, AB will provide the states of Idaho and Montana an opportunity to participate in development of the oil sands. This proposed route execution strategy can provide a template for permanent route infrastructure development.
Sound familiar? It should.
Read the full post: The Heavy Haul is NOT To Be Permanent - Except When It Is
04.29 Definition of Terrorism: Whatever Big Oil Says It Is
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Or at least Big OIl as it speaks through the voice of the Idaho State Police at the ITD Administrative Hearing today.
From Betsy Russell’s blog Eye on Boise:
Read the full post: Definition of Terrorism: Whatever Big Oil Says It Is
04.27 ITD Administrative Hearings, Chapter 2
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Again, great coverage by Betsy Russell of the Spokesman Review at her blog Eye on Boise.
Excerpts after the jump.
04.26 ITD Contested Case Hearing Liveblogging by Betsy Russell
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Greetings, AAtH Nation!
If you are as curious as I am as to how the ITD contested case hearing is going in Boise, then fear no more. The intrepid Spokesman-Journal reporter Betsy Russell has been posting reports on her blog Eye on Boise.
Read the full post: ITD Contested Case Hearing Liveblogging by Betsy Russell
04.25 IDT Administrative Hearing Begins Today; Public News Service Carries the Story
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
The long-awaited contested case administrative hearing challenging IDT’s decision to permit the KMTP began this morning in Boise.
The non-profit Public News Service continues to carry the story of the Heavy Haul opposition fight to the rural towns of the inter-mountain west, with their latest report: Judge: Takes as Long as Needed for Mega-loads Hearing.
Read the full post: IDT Administrative Hearing Begins Today; Public News Service Carries the Story
04.21 Victory! Judge Issues Restraining Order for Exxon Megaload Project
- Posted by Zack Porter
On Monday, a judge issued a restraining order for all road and utility line work to facilitate Exxon’s megaloads project, until the Montana lawsuit is resolved.
Read the full post: Victory! Judge Issues Restraining Order for Exxon Megaload Project
04.15 The Movement gets Stronger!
- Posted by Suzie Estep
- News
With the announcement that the Nez Perce and Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes are joining the fray against the KMTP it feels like our opposition is swelling to a monumental level! When our friends from the First Nations tribes of the Dene and Cree, Francois Paulette and George Poitrois visited a few weeks back I felt an upsurge of my resolve to help protect their ancestral lands and livelihoods. I can now see that their visit to the ID and MT tribes created a deep empathy that gives me the sense that another strong current is moving us forward. With our Native American allies willing to add their voices to the cacophony of opposition, I felt like skipping this morning.
04.14 Deadlines are for the Little People…
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
...and certainly not anything which mega-corporations like ExxonMobil need trouble themselves over.
Or at least it would seem that way, since their so-called “test” module - which was supposed to arrive at Lolo Pass earlier today—is still sitting at milepost 61.
04.13 Plaintiffs in MDT Lawsuit File Request for Temporary Restraining Order
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Attorneys for Missoula County, the National Wildlife Federation, the Montana Environmental Information Center, and the Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club have filed a motion requesting that a temporary restraining order be issued against any further movement or permitting of Imperial Oil modules.
(Notwithstanding, of course, the fact that the one so-called “test” module currently stranded in Idaho has managed a decent job of hoisting itself on its own petard…)
Read the full post: Plaintiffs in MDT Lawsuit File Request for Temporary Restraining Order
04.12 Imperial/ExxonMobil Module First Night’s Test Grade = FAIL!!!!!
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
also known as: “Hello, Schadenfraude, my old friend…”
UPDATE: The Lewiston Tribune is reporting that the test module may in fact move tonight. PLUS: Read ExxonMobil’s version of the events.
Read the full post: Imperial/ExxonMobil Module First Night’s Test Grade = FAIL!!!!!
04.12 Exxon Test Module Stopped in its Tracks
- Posted by Zack Porter
The test module proved to be a failure on night one, knocking over a power line and blocking two-way traffic for an hour.
04.11 Let’s Incorporate the Lochsa, Shall We?
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Featured Posts
...and the Clearwater and the Blackfoot while we are at it?
By now am assuming most of you have heard about the wife of the Florida legislator who wants to incorporate her uterus, so it would receive the same level of protection from the Government that corporations currently enjoy, right?
04.09 Exxon-Imperial Test Module a Ploy to Deceive Public; MDT Violates FONSI By Issuing Permit
- Posted by Zack Porter
Yesterday, MDT illegally issued a permit for Exxon’s so-called “test module.” Read on to learn more about this latest sham.
04.08 ID Legislature Passes (a Less Extreme) Version of) HB193a
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Before adjourning yesterday, the Idaho House of Representatives passed the Senate-amended version of HB193a that had been returned to them.
Betsy Russell at the Spokesman-Review has the story.
Read the full post: ID Legislature Passes (a Less Extreme) Version of) HB193a
04.07 “The Missoulian” = “The Wall Street Journal” Wannabe
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
And by that I mean a newspaper that does an excellent job of reporting on issue, paradoxically exhibits an editorial board so beholding to their Corporate Overlords that they will say anything, no matter how ridiculous.
Take this for instance.
Read the full post: “The Missoulian” = “The Wall Street Journal” Wannabe
04.05 Who Will Blink First - Imperial or MDT?
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
So, the Imperial (so-called) Test Module was going to leave the Port of Lewiston last evening, according to the Missoulian.
Except, of course, that it didn’t.
Update: We have received word that the test module will not be traveling tonight, either, though that is no surprise.
Plus: The Lewiston Tribune reports on the delay.
04.04 NYT Op-Ed: No to a New Tar Sands Pipeline
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
While not directly related to the Heavy Haul, the fact that The New York Times, the country’s newspaper of record, came out against the Keystone XL pipeline last Saturday is certainly noteworthy.
Read the full post: NYT Op-Ed: No to a New Tar Sands Pipeline
04.01 Lawsuit Filed to Force Detailed Review of Exxon Proposal
- Posted by Zack Porter
- Call To Action
This morning, a lawsuit was filed jointly by the Missoula County Commissioners, National Wildlife Federation, Montana Environmental Information Center, and the Montana Chapter of the Sierra Club, to force further review of Exxon/Imperial Oil’s Kearl Module Transport Plan by the Montana Department of Transportation. Please thank the Commissioners today (read on for contact info).
Read the full post: Lawsuit Filed to Force Detailed Review of Exxon Proposal
04.01 Happy April Fool’s Day Everyone
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Featured Posts
I had a fake post up this morning falsely promising somegood news, but upon re-thinking have now taken it down as it may have gone too far. I promise that every post from here on out today will be true, factual, and not a prank. My heartfelt apologies to anyone who was upset by today’s prank.
Cheers, everyone!
03.31 The Forked Tongue of Big Oil Continues to Spin Tales of Convenience
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Big Oil's Arrogance
Imperial Oil (aka ExxonMobil) has repeatedly assured anyone and everyone that would listen that (1) the Kearl modules are nonreducible, (2) they have no alternative routes besides US12/MT200, (3) South Korea is the best and pretty much only place the modules can be built, and (4) they had no ‘assurances’ from Idaho & Montana transportation departments for transport permits.
Right?
Read the full post: The Forked Tongue of Big Oil Continues to Spin Tales of Convenience
03.30 Yellowstone Co. Commissioner Jim Reno = Made of Wrong
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
So, Yellowstone County Commissioner Jim Reno has written a letter-to-the-editor of The Missoulian, wherein he uses a factually-correct basis from which to politely take issue with the Missoula County Commissioners’ unanimous decision to sue MDT over the ExxonMobil Heavy Haul project.
Except: that’s not really what happened.
He did write a letter to the Missoulian “blasting” the Missoula County Commissioners. But he was completely full of crap in doing so.
Read the full post: Yellowstone Co. Commissioner Jim Reno = Made of Wrong
03.30 Thank you Missoula County Commissioners!
- Posted by Zack Porter
- Call To Action
Please take a moment to thank the Commissioners for their courageous vote!
Read the full post: Thank you Missoula County Commissioners!
03.29 Every Time You Stand in Front of a Big Truck It’s a Gamble
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Fortunately, Missoula County Commissioners are up to the task - well, metaphorically speaking anyway. Today, the three Commissioners voted unanimously to sue MDT over the Imperial Oil megaloads.
Read the full post: Every Time You Stand in Front of a Big Truck It’s a Gamble
03.28 GOP Legislator Apologizes for Lying; And No, this is NOT “The Onion”
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials News
This just in, via the irrevocable Borg:
Around 9:30 this morning, Rep. Harwood stood up on the flour of the Idaho House and apologized for all the inaccurate information he provided when he presented his anti-lawsuit, megaload-related bill last week. He had gotten roasted via your emails to Senate Transportation Committee members and very publicly and deservedly roasted in the press. Thanks to a watchful citizenry—YOU—and thanks to a watchful press, the junk drawer of falsities lying within his presentation was exposed. The bill remains in the hands of the committee, awaiting either amendment or a quiet death as the legislature runs out of time. They expect to end the session one day next week.
Also, Marty Trilhasse of the Lewiston Tribune opines that the Harwood Bill (if passed) would be more of a gift than a burden to the mega-load opposition, and by that he means “all of us.”
Read the full post: GOP Legislator Apologizes for Lying; And No, this is NOT “The Onion”
03.27 SocialistWorker.org Reports on the Heavy Haul
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
Andrea Hektor of the International Socialist Organization stopped by the rally in Portland last week, and an in-depth article about the Tar Sands and the Heavy Haul was the result.
Read the full post: SocialistWorker.org Reports on the Heavy Haul
03.26 Indian Country Today Publishes Winona LaDuke Article on the Heavy Haul
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
Indian Country Today Media Network, the daily on-line news site for the award-winning weekly national newspaper Indian Country Today recently published an article by Winona LaDuke, getting the word out about the Heavy Haul to the larger tribal community.
Read the full post: Indian Country Today Publishes Winona LaDuke Article on the Heavy Haul
03.25 ACTION ALERT: Contact Idaho Senate Transportation Committee
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Call To Action
This just in from the indomitable Borg:
Please see article and “help” below and then please take 20 minutes to email Idaho Senate Transportation Committee members about the Harwood bill:
Read the full post: ACTION ALERT: Contact Idaho Senate Transportation Committee
03.24 “The Tyee” Continues to Report on Tar Sands Lobbying in the U.S.
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
Last week I posted about an on-going series of reports that is being published in The Tyee, Vancouver BC’s independent on-line daily internet magazine.
Today we’ll continue looking at what they are reporting.
Read the full post: “The Tyee” Continues to Report on Tar Sands Lobbying in the U.S.
03.23 Update on ConocoPhillips Load Progress: Taking Forever to Reach Billings
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Okay, well until April at least, which is not quite forever. However, if you are for example, two very large mega-load shipments inching across snowy mountain passes, costing your Corporate Overlords buttloads of money with every delay, or for another example a small boy whose fifth birthday happens to be in April (not that I know anyone who fits that description!!), well, April might as well be forever.
Read the full post: Update on ConocoPhillips Load Progress: Taking Forever to Reach Billings
03.21 Saturday and Sunday a group of Nez Perces and non-tribal residents of north central Idaho walked and
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
...in solidarity with the First Nation’s people of Alberta, Canada, whose land, air, water and bodies are suffering the effects of tar sands oil extraction processes. On Saturday a group walked from the Port of Lewiston to the Nez Perce casino along U.S. Highway 12, and then Nez Perce runners relayed to Greencreek. On Sunday the runners completed their relay by running from Greencreek to Kamiah, where approximately 45 residents walked to the creation site of the Nez Perces, the Heart of the Monster, and shared thoughts and feelings about the tar sands and megaloads.
Photos below the jump.
03.20 Native Americans gather in Portland to protest oil sands shipments
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Via The Oregonian:
An ancient Native American song emanated Sunday from the confluence of the Columbia and Willamette rivers. Five drummers rhythmically pounded on a ceremonial drum while spectators passed around a seashell filled with smoking prayer leaves. “Ya-hey-ya-hey-ha,” lead drummer James Thinn chanted above the other singers, a traditional warrior’s chant.
Read the full post: Native Americans gather in Portland to protest oil sands shipments
03.19 In America’s Capital, a Fierce Fight over Oil Sands
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Featured Posts
Okay, I just wrote the most amazingest kick-butt blog post EVAH, in which was provided a lucid and insightful review and analysis of the ongoing series on Tar Sands Lobbying in Washington DC, currently being published by They Tyee.
And then my browser ate the whole thing. Really, I swear.
So, instead of trying to reconstruct it, I’m just going to give you the links to the series, because, really, you should read the whole thing anyway. This series is that good.
And then I’m going to go outdoors and enjoy the sunshine.
Read the full post: In America’s Capital, a Fierce Fight over Oil Sands
03.16 Other companies look to U.S. 12 for oversized cargo
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
An on-line stock market news and financial analysis website, Seeking Alpha is reporting that additional companies are investigating the feasibility of using Highway 12 as a route for transporting oversized cargo.
Really? REALLY?
Read the full post: Other companies look to U.S. 12 for oversized cargo
03.15 Beware the Ides of March
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Call To Action News
This post has nothing to do with Julius Ceasar, or even Shakespeare; it’s just a fun thing to say every 15th of March. That said, Big Oil had better fear the wrath of the Columbia River Region’s indigenous people, as three separate Heavy Haul protests in two different states (Oregon, Idaho) are being organized by tribal folks. See AATH’s Event Page for more information. (Hint: Keep checking back as we’ll be updating as we get more detailed event info).
The latest news round-up is after the jump.
03.14 Winona LaDuke Reports on her Journey Into the Heart of the Monster
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
At the Honor the Earth website, acclaimed tribal and environmental activist Winona LaDuke writes about her visit to the Heavy Haul route and her meeting with leaders of the Nez Perce tribe in what is now called Idaho.
Read the full post: Winona LaDuke Reports on her Journey Into the Heart of the Monster
03.11 ACTION ALERT - MONTANA RESIDENTS Contact Senators Tester and Baucus Please
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Call To Action
In follow-up to yesterday’s report of Advocates for the West filing a federal lawsuit against the Forest Service, it would be great if all residents of Montana who are opposed to the Heavy Haul would contact Senators Tester and Baucus.
Read the full post: ACTION ALERT - MONTANA RESIDENTS Contact Senators Tester and Baucus Please
03.10 Federal Lawsuit Filed in Idaho: Forest Service sued over inaction on megaloads
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
A lawsuit filed by an environmental group accuses the U.S. Forest Service of neglecting its duty and federal laws by allowing Idaho to permit hundreds of oversized truckloads along a protected river corridor.
The federal lawsuit filed on March 10, 2011 by Idaho Rivers United seeks a to block ExxonMobil’s plans to truck giant refinery equipment along U.S. Highway 12 in north central Idaho.
Read the full post: Federal Lawsuit Filed in Idaho: Forest Service sued over inaction on megaloads
03.07 The Unsung Monitors
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Featured Posts
This post comes compliments of the indispensable Borg:
You know the megaloads roll 10 p.m. - 5:30 a.m., and that’s when the monitors have rolled too. Approximately 4 dozen residents, coordinated by Matti, have driven or stood alongside the highway from 2-7 hours observing, logging, tape recording and filming for a total so far of 12 nights.
03.05 More About George and Francois
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
So, the buzz in AATH land is that the recent visit by George Poitras and Francois Paulette, the First Nations guys fighting on the frontlines of the Alberta Tar Sands, was a raging sucess. For everyone not fortunate enough to get to hear them speak, either in Nez Perce country or at the Wilma Theater in Missoula earlier this week, here is some more information about who they are and the wonderful work they are doing.
03.02 Media Roundup - From the NYT to Earth Island Journal, by way of the Lewiston Tribune
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
The onslaught of great media coverage continues, folks!
Our country’s Newspaper of Record, The New York Times, continues to follow the story of the mega-loads, in this instance connecting the dots between big oil and the health of PNW salmon populations. Earth Island Journal published a nice feature article, and the Lewiston Tribune wrote about the meeting between Canadian First Nations tribal leaders from Tar Sands country and the Nez Perce tribe.
And don’t forget, for western Montana AATH-ers, the above-referenced Canadian tribal leaders will be at tonight’s U.S. premier of The Tipping Point in Missoula. Come one, come all!
02.28 ConocoPhillips Intervenors File in Resistance to ExxonMobil Loads
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
On February 23, the ConocoPhillips contested case intervenors petitioned ITD to reconsider and withdraw its Feb. 14th decision to permit the Exxon/Imperial shipments. Friends of the Clearwater also joined in the petition.
Read the full post: ConocoPhillips Intervenors File in Resistance to ExxonMobil Loads
02.25 Newsletter Update
- Posted by Zack Porter
Whew…it’s been a busy couple of weeks. Check out this post to hear the latest.
02.23 Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil receives extension on moving oversized test load on U.S. 12
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
from ITD:
BOISE - An Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil oversized test load scheduled to travel on U.S. 12 today will be delayed until March 7, after the company requested and received an extension from the Idaho Transportation Department.
02.21 Sunshine, Dry Roads Halt Second ConocoPhillips Megaload
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Per ITD:
KOOSKIA - The oversized ConocoPhillips load making its way toward Montana on U.S. 12 will not embark on the next leg of its trip until the weather forecast improves, the Idaho Transportation Department announced.
The equipment transport could move as early as Tuesday night (Feb. 22), weather permitting.
Read the full post: Sunshine, Dry Roads Halt Second ConocoPhillips Megaload
02.18 “We’ve always been at war with Eastasia…”
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Editorials
...and the Kearl Modules have always been capable of being reduced in size to fit the restrictions of the Federal Interstate system.
Heh! Just kidding! This isn’t 1984, either figuratively or literally.
Read the full post: “We’ve always been at war with Eastasia…”
02.17 Our Far-Flung Correspondents - from Bellingham to Durango
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
AATH got some media love from a couple unexpected corners this week - Bellingham WA and Durango CO. Nice to know that this issue is receiving coverage in areas not directly affected by the mega-load route itself.
Update: The Durango event at Maria’s Bookshop is to be held on Wednesday 23 February.
Read the full post: Our Far-Flung Correspondents - from Bellingham to Durango
02.16 Say…wha…?...??...
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
The proposed route for the KMTP along Highway 12 is the ONLY viable option for the Kearl modules to reach the Tar Sands. Don’t believe me? Just read the Environmental Assessment (EA) prepared by ExxonMobil for the Montana Department of Transportation. It says so, in black and white. You know the EA we’re talking about, right? The one that led MDT to find that the proposed KMTP transportation corridor would have no significant impact on Montana?
02.14 Washington State Feeling Left Out - Gets in on Megaload Game
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
According to the Lewiston Morning Tribune
An undetermined number of the 207 ExxonMobil/Imperial Oil megaloads are leaving the Port of Vancouver by truck instead of being barged to Lewiston for a journey across Idaho on U.S. Highway 12.
Some of the oil company’s Korean-made modules have previously left the Port of Vancouver by road, said Theresa Wagner, a spokeswoman for the Port of Vancouver, Wash.
A permit issued by the Washington Department of Transportation for Mammoet, ExxonMobil/Imperial Oil’s hauler, allows it to haul four “super loads” per week from the Port of Vancouver to the Washington border in Spokane. The permit runs from Feb. 7 to March 7.
Read the full post: Washington State Feeling Left Out - Gets in on Megaload Game
02.11 Introducing the Safe Montana Highways Act
- Posted by Zack Porter
The Safe Montana Highways Act, HB 507, ensures that future projects like the one currently proposed by Exxon, receive the full economic and environmental review they deserve, and that taxpayers are protected from costly damages to state infrastructure.
Read the full post: Introducing the Safe Montana Highways Act
02.10 MDT rules on Exxon KMTP: Finding Of No Significant Impact
- Posted by Zack Porter
There is no shortage of updates today: MDT has released a Finding of No Significant Impact document for the Exxon Kearl Module Transport Plan; Conoco’s megaloads approach Lolo Pass and the Montana border tonight, and the Missoulian reports that Exxon may be cutting its modules into sizes that fit on interstate highways.
Read the full post: MDT rules on Exxon KMTP: Finding Of No Significant Impact
02.10 MDT Issues Finding of No Significant Impacts for the KMTP
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
MDT has finally ruled on the Environmental Assessment for the KMTP - in favor of Imperial Oil.
Read the full post: MDT Issues Finding of No Significant Impacts for the KMTP
02.10 “Oh, we’re not ones to go around spreadin’ rumors…”
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Really, we’re just NOT the gossipin’ kind…
Unlike folks at ITD, who are speculating that director Brian Ness is going to require a contested case hearing for the KMTP before issuing any permits.
Read the full post: “Oh, we’re not ones to go around spreadin’ rumors…”
02.07 Big Writers Vs. Big Oil
- Posted by Trish Weber
- Links of Interest
Outside Magazine has posted an essay by David James Duncan on their website, on The Heart of the Monster and why the Pacific Northwest states should not submit to the petrolarchy of Big Oil.
02.06 Superbowl Sunday: Megaload News Roundup
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Whether you are rooting for the Steelers or the Packers, we can all cheer the great news around the (wholly predicted by team AATH) delays being experienced by the first Conoco-Phillips megaload truck.
The unassailable Borg of Fighting Goliath has once again rounded up the news for us. Plus: a call to ACTION!
02.04 Lolo Pass Megaloads Rally CANCELLED due to delays in transportation
- Posted by Zack Porter
- Call To Action
Saturday’s Lolo Pass Rally has been cancelled due to weather delays and complications arising during the second night of shipments. A forecast for snow and 10 delays between 16 and 59 minutes during the second night of transport (only 15 minute delays between turnouts are permitted), have caused Conoco’s four shipments to be put on hold.
Read the full post: Lolo Pass Megaloads Rally CANCELLED due to delays in transportation
02.04 NewsflasH: IDT Figures out What We Have Known All Along
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
Which is: that the roads on this route are not engineered for these loads.
Read the full post: NewsflasH: IDT Figures out What We Have Known All Along
02.04 Weather stops megaload in Kooskia
- Posted by Trish Weber
- News
via the Lewiston Morning Tribune: