Goliath Staggered

During his Saturday book signing at And Books Too in Clarkston WA, author Steve Bunk spoke about his motives for writing Goliath Staggered.  He explained that what the anti-megaload fighters in Montana and Idaho have done during the past 4 years serves as a blueprint to other people taking on the challenge of climate change-related issues.  In other words, through the book he aims to display what local people have done as a stellar example to others.

There are two more opportunities to meet Steve and discuss his book:

Tonight, Tuesday April 22nd, 7 p.m.

 at Fact & Fiction in downtown Missoula 

Should be a rousing conversation!

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 23rd, 7 p.m.

Bookpeople in Moscow

You're invited to join the discussion!

Megaload Book launch in Clarkston

This Saturday come to And Books Too! in Clarkston, WA for the  launch of Steve Bunk's new book:

"Goliath Staggered"

Meet the author, 
plus join in the Q&A with Lin & Borg.  

Just head across the Lewiston-to-Clarkston bridge on U.S. Hwy 12

 

America's Most Endangered Rivers 2014

 American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature.  Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and an annual America's Most Endangered Rivers campaign.  

 This morning river conservation organization brought our efforts to protect the Wild and Scenic corridor to even greater national attention by announcing the designation of the Lochsa and Middle Fork Clearwater rivers as among America's Most Endangered Rivers.  This designation shines "a national spotlight on the threat that megaload shipments bound for the Canadian tar sands pose to the rivers' unique Wild and Scenic character."  Further, American Rivers and its partners urge the US Forest Service to stop industrialization of the Lochsa-Clearwater U.S.12 corridor by banning megaload transports.

You can help protect our rivers by personally writing to Tom Tidwell, the Chief of the U.S. Forest Service ttidwell@fs.fed.us 

Or respond to the Take Action call via the American Rivers website

American Rivers protects wild rivers, restores damaged rivers, and conserves clean water for people and nature. Since 1973, American Rivers has protected and restored more than 150,000 miles of rivers through advocacy efforts, on-the-ground projects, and an annual America’s Most Endangered Rivers® campaign. - See more at: http://www.americanrivers.org/about/#sthash.9TuJgBJo.dpuf

Thank you!

 



 

The Wild and Scenic rivers’ coldwater fisheries, scenery, and whitewater are threatened by industrialization that would bring huge megaloads bound for Canadian tar sands onto narrow roads beside the rivers. - See more at: http://www.americanrivers.org/endangered-rivers/#sthash.z6qPowII.dpuf

The Wild and Scenic rivers’ coldwater fisheries, scenery, and whitewater are threatened by industrialization that would bring huge megaloads bound for Canadian tar sands onto narrow roads beside the rivers. - See more at: http://www.americanrivers.org/endangered-rivers/#sthash.z6qPowII.dpuf

USFS Report

As the Nez Perce Tribe & Idaho Rivers United vs. the US Forest Service megaload case slowly proceeds, this afternoon the USFS released a report titled "Perceived Values of the Middle Fork Clearwater and Lochsa River Corridor Potentially Affected by Certain Over-Legal Truck Traffic."  (That is, by megaload traffic.) You'll find the report here.

Although the top-of-page headline includes the word "study," the USFS notes:  "This paper is not an impact study..."  You may recall that on 9/12/13 (5.5 months ago), Federal Judge B. Lynn Winmill ordered the USFS to conduct a "corridor review" and consult with the Nez Perce Tribe -- a consultation yet to commence.

March Megaload News

Recent Megaload News:

Thursday night Omega Morgan/GE megaload #3 was blocked on Reserve Street in Missoula, Montana by about 80 protesters.  To-date OM #3 has been trudging along for no fewer than 34 days.  

Missoula women arrested during megaload protest, Missoulian, 3/21/14

The women...joined members of Indian Peoples Action, Northern Rockies Rising Tide and the Blue Skies Campaign in...bringing the shipment to a stop for about 20 minutes...  Indian People's Action... released a statement saying, “We are standing in solidarity with our cousins of the Nez Perce tribe, the Umatilla, and the cousins to the north whose lives are being drastically affected by the destructive nature of the needless extraction of tar sands. This is leaving the land uninhabitable and our people with no place to go.”...  Read more.

Keystone XL in the News:

On April 22nd, a group of ranchers, farmers and tribal communities from along the Keystone XL tar sands pipeline route, called the Cowboy Indian Alliance, will ride into Washington DC...  On April 27th, thousands...will join them to stand together for a final message that the Keystone XL pipeline and the tar sands must be rejected...  See more and join the march here.

'Cowboy Indian Alliance' will ride to D.C. for 'Reject And Protect' Keystone XL Protest, Brianna Elliott, Huffington Post, 3/11/14...  

This rally gives a voice to the communities that would be most impacted by Keystone XL, and their message is clear -- to protect land, water and climate now and for future generations. The Keystone XL would cross several rivers and the Ogallala Aquifer, which would put wildlife, public water supplies and croplands in danger if a spill were to occur...  Activists have mounted increasing pressure on the Obama administration to reject the project, delivering over two million comments on March 7 following a series of mass arrests in front of the White House...  Read more.

Another firm that evaluated Keystone for State Department had ties to TransCanada, Huffington Post, 3/13/14...  The contractor that evaluated greenhouse gas emissions for the State Department's Keystone XL report is the latest company to come under fire for its ties to TransCanada, the prospective builder of the controversial pipeline...  Read more.

Our Megaload Story on This American Land

This week our local megaload story made news on This American Land:  Megaloads blocked from Wild and Scenic River Route. 

This American Land is a leading conservation news magazine program seen on public television stations nationwide.   

Photo by Roger Inghram

In other news, Exxon Mobil CEO sues to keep hydraulic fracking away from his Texas ranch while encouraging fracking in other places, highlighting the hypocrisy surrounding the oil and gas industry.  Read more.

 

 

 

Megaload Tar Sands Boondoggle

Megaload Tar Sands Boondoggle 

by Jim Fetter

(Printed here with cartoonist's permission.)

Otter's blast at Judge Winmill: He's not one of us 

 Dan Popkey, Idaho Statesman, 2/13/14

Idaho Gov. Butch Otter says U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill is out of touch with Idaho values, including freedom and the marketplace...  Otter “urged people to understand their votes matter in coming elections because public officials are responsible for appointing judges like Idaho U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill, who he said might not share Idaho’s values”...  It’s not every day a governor questions the values of an Idaho federal judge...  Among Winmill’s notable cases:...  delaying megaload transports over U.S. Highway 12 and ordering the U.S. Forest Service to assess environmental impacts...  Read more.