Remember when ...
Imperial Oil spokespeople said...
1. the modules are nonreducible;
2. they have no alternative routes;
3. South Korea is the best and pretty much only place the modules can be built;
4. they had no 'assurances' from Idaho & Montana transportation departments for transport permits.
Now read this... (especially note lines in bold... and you may also spot some lines to 'suspect' in italics...)
Imperial to 'revisit' foreign input in oilsands; Kearl project hit by logistical problems and protests over shipments of upgrader modules by road to Fort McMurray by Dave of the Edmonton Journal, published in the Calgary Herald, 3/30/11
EDMONTON - Imperial Oil will “revisit” its decision to buy massive modules from South Korea ... for the future expansion of its Kearl oilsands, its chief executive
... Bruce March said “we will revisit this for the expansion,” but added that his firm’s focus right now is getting the modules — stalled at the inland port of Lewiston, Idaho, amid protests from residents — on the road to Fort McMurray as soon as possible.
Currently, the $8-billion Kearl mine and bitumen production project is on time, scheduled to open late next year. Some of the modules made in Edmonton — which represents 80 per cent of the fabrication work — are ready to be shipped.
“We made the decision to order [the units from Korea] in the 2007-08 period ...
The Korean firm building the 207 mega-sized units — 33 of which are now being broken apart in Idaho ... so they can move as 60 smaller shipments on the Interstate highway — has supplied specialized ore-processing equipment to all oilsands plants in the past.
But in those cases the equipment has always been shipped in pieces and assembled in Edmonton.
March said Imperial could have done that with the modules, “but we opted to have it built in Korea. We could have gone either way.”
March said Imperial did its homework with the module transportation....
and got pretty good assurance from the state governments that they would allow it.”
But then came the protests, much of it from people opposed to the oilsands in general and rather than residents worried about the rural scenery. National advocacy groups have been sending out news releases for months denouncing the mega-loads....
...We are now seeing (protests) in the supply chain for the oilsands, in the pipeline projects like Keystone,” he said...
On Wednesday, commissioners in Missoula County, Montana, voted to file a lawsuit ... to stop oversized loads....
Read More:
http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Imperial+revisit+foreign+input+oilsands/4531382/story.html?cid=megadrop_story
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
CALL to ACTION concerning HARWOOD BILL
PLEASE take a few minutes to email Idaho Senate Transportation Committee members about the Harwood bill, see article and "help" below for more information:
Committee contact forms:
Sen. Hammond http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=86
Sen. Brackett http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=14
Sen. Keough http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=91
Sen. McGee http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=96
Sen. Corder http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=79
Sen. Winder http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=753
Sen. Bair http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=72
Sen. Werk http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=105
Sen. Bilyeu http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=74
ARTICLE:Senators to amend Rep. Harwood's pro-megaloads bill, by Betsy Russell, Spokesman-Review 3/24/11BOISE - Senators had sharp questions for Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, over his bill aimed at blocking lawsuits over highway megaloads, and after much debate, voted Thursday to substantially amend the bill.
Harwood urged against that, saying amendments proposed by the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association and others, including saying a judge “may” require a bond rather than “shall,” “virtually guts this bill.”...
Senators and others said Harwood’s bill was confusing and poorly worded.
Barbara Jorden, lobbyist for the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, told the Senate Transportation Committee, ... the bill appears to confuse bonds with fees, and urged extensive amendments if lawmakers weren’t willing to just kill the bill outright....
Idaho lawmakers are hoping to wrap up their session by next week or the week after - bills sent to the Senate’s 14th Order for amendments often end up dying there without further action.
Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, said the bill targets lawsuits against the Idaho Transportation Department, but also seems to envision the business proposing the haul as a co-defendant in the lawsuit....
Hannah Brass, legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, noted a similar concern... when the lawsuit is over ITD’s issuance of a permit. “... [the businesses are] not the ones who issue the permits to themselves,”.....
Harwood told the committee he wanted to end “frivolous lawsuits,” ...
But Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, noted that the lawsuit against the Highway 12 megaloads was never held to be “frivolous,” by either the courts or a state hearing officer. Harwood responded, “I just used that term because sometimes that’s how I feel they are.”
When Werk asked Harwood about his contention that people can find judges who’ll rule any way they want, Harwood said, “Certain judges do lean in different directions. A lot of times maybe their … personal opinion, and I know in my case often my own personal opinion overrides the right thing to do.”
A motion to kill the bill outright failed on a 3-6 vote, and the motion to amend it then passed, 6-3. ...
Read full article and please post a comment.http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/mar/24/senators-amend-rep-harwoods-pro-megaloads-bill/
HELP:To help with your emails and comments, below are examples of misinformation that Rep. Harwood used in his argument before the Idaho House that convinced representatives to pass his bill. And from the above article, we learn that the bill itself was also misinformed. How can senators vote for a bill for which so much misinformation has been given? How can they vote on or spend time amending a bill so confusingly written? How can the Idaho legislature even consider a bill that attempts to deny citizens access to the judicial system? Isn't doing so an affront to democracy? And doesn't such a bill invite a legal challenge to its constitutionality?
Harwood said the oil companies will post a $250 million bond. Actually, it's $10 million.
He said the companies had the electric lines buried. Actually, they were raised to 30 feet.
He said the megaloads traveled from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Actually, they travel 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
He said the companies have done a lot .. now we have "blacktop road and lots of turnouts." Actually, the road has been blacktop since 1962, and Exxon only paid for some reinforcements of 9 turnouts.
He said stopping the megaloads would be stopping commerce. Actually, it is the megaloads that stop commerce.
-- During the ConocoPhillips' second shipment, the shipper (Emmert Int'l.) asked 7 regular commercial trucking companies to avoid using U.S.12 when the megaload was on the highway, and they did.
-- Also, during CP's first shipment, while the megaload delayed traffic for 59 minutes (Mileposts 61-65), eight logging trucks, which start their runs around 2 a.m., sat in a traffic delay line in Kamiah waiting.
-- Further, the megaload convoys include 10+ vehicles, most of which have swirling yellow strobe lights on their roofs, and the megaload itself which has rows of large bright white lights running down the full length of the trailer, and all of these vehicles have, of course, headlights, and all make noise, including the locomotive-loud honking of the two super-size semis that pull and push the load. Thousands of people in homes, motels, and campgrounds within 20-200 feet of the highway (if not even further) will be affected by the lights and noise -- tourists will be negatively affected. In terms of "commerce," I know you're aware that tourism is Idaho's 3rd largest industry and is, of course, major in the economic picture of north central Idaho where 4600 jobs depend upon tourism.
--Additionally, the shipments are almost entirely foreign enterprises -- Canadian, Dutch, Korean, Japanese companies, and have little or nothing to do with "commerce" in Idaho. The oil companies simply want to use Idaho roads, not engage in commerce here.
--ITD officials note that the permits do not cover all of ITD’s administrative, technical, and legal costs associated with the movement of each megaload on Idaho’s roads. Idaho taxpayers will be subsidizing the planet's richest corporations. That fact runs counter to the concept of real, citizen-involved, "commerce."
Thank you, all.
Committee contact forms:
Sen. Hammond http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=86
Sen. Brackett http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=14
Sen. Keough http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=91
Sen. McGee http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=96
Sen. Corder http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=79
Sen. Winder http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=753
Sen. Bair http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=72
Sen. Werk http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=105
Sen. Bilyeu http://legislature.idaho.gov/about/contactmembersform.cfm?ID=74
ARTICLE:Senators to amend Rep. Harwood's pro-megaloads bill, by Betsy Russell, Spokesman-Review 3/24/11BOISE - Senators had sharp questions for Rep. Dick Harwood, R-St. Maries, over his bill aimed at blocking lawsuits over highway megaloads, and after much debate, voted Thursday to substantially amend the bill.
Harwood urged against that, saying amendments proposed by the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association and others, including saying a judge “may” require a bond rather than “shall,” “virtually guts this bill.”...
Senators and others said Harwood’s bill was confusing and poorly worded.
Barbara Jorden, lobbyist for the Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, told the Senate Transportation Committee, ... the bill appears to confuse bonds with fees, and urged extensive amendments if lawmakers weren’t willing to just kill the bill outright....
Idaho lawmakers are hoping to wrap up their session by next week or the week after - bills sent to the Senate’s 14th Order for amendments often end up dying there without further action.
Sen. Tim Corder, R-Mountain Home, said the bill targets lawsuits against the Idaho Transportation Department, but also seems to envision the business proposing the haul as a co-defendant in the lawsuit....
Hannah Brass, legislative director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Idaho, noted a similar concern... when the lawsuit is over ITD’s issuance of a permit. “... [the businesses are] not the ones who issue the permits to themselves,”.....
Harwood told the committee he wanted to end “frivolous lawsuits,” ...
But Sen. Elliot Werk, D-Boise, noted that the lawsuit against the Highway 12 megaloads was never held to be “frivolous,” by either the courts or a state hearing officer. Harwood responded, “I just used that term because sometimes that’s how I feel they are.”
When Werk asked Harwood about his contention that people can find judges who’ll rule any way they want, Harwood said, “Certain judges do lean in different directions. A lot of times maybe their … personal opinion, and I know in my case often my own personal opinion overrides the right thing to do.”
A motion to kill the bill outright failed on a 3-6 vote, and the motion to amend it then passed, 6-3. ...
Read full article and please post a comment.http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2011/mar/24/senators-amend-rep-harwoods-pro-megaloads-bill/
HELP:To help with your emails and comments, below are examples of misinformation that Rep. Harwood used in his argument before the Idaho House that convinced representatives to pass his bill. And from the above article, we learn that the bill itself was also misinformed. How can senators vote for a bill for which so much misinformation has been given? How can they vote on or spend time amending a bill so confusingly written? How can the Idaho legislature even consider a bill that attempts to deny citizens access to the judicial system? Isn't doing so an affront to democracy? And doesn't such a bill invite a legal challenge to its constitutionality?
Harwood said the oil companies will post a $250 million bond. Actually, it's $10 million.
He said the companies had the electric lines buried. Actually, they were raised to 30 feet.
He said the megaloads traveled from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m. Actually, they travel 10 p.m. to 5:30 a.m.
He said the companies have done a lot .. now we have "blacktop road and lots of turnouts." Actually, the road has been blacktop since 1962, and Exxon only paid for some reinforcements of 9 turnouts.
He said stopping the megaloads would be stopping commerce. Actually, it is the megaloads that stop commerce.
-- During the ConocoPhillips' second shipment, the shipper (Emmert Int'l.) asked 7 regular commercial trucking companies to avoid using U.S.12 when the megaload was on the highway, and they did.
-- Also, during CP's first shipment, while the megaload delayed traffic for 59 minutes (Mileposts 61-65), eight logging trucks, which start their runs around 2 a.m., sat in a traffic delay line in Kamiah waiting.
-- Further, the megaload convoys include 10+ vehicles, most of which have swirling yellow strobe lights on their roofs, and the megaload itself which has rows of large bright white lights running down the full length of the trailer, and all of these vehicles have, of course, headlights, and all make noise, including the locomotive-loud honking of the two super-size semis that pull and push the load. Thousands of people in homes, motels, and campgrounds within 20-200 feet of the highway (if not even further) will be affected by the lights and noise -- tourists will be negatively affected. In terms of "commerce," I know you're aware that tourism is Idaho's 3rd largest industry and is, of course, major in the economic picture of north central Idaho where 4600 jobs depend upon tourism.
--Additionally, the shipments are almost entirely foreign enterprises -- Canadian, Dutch, Korean, Japanese companies, and have little or nothing to do with "commerce" in Idaho. The oil companies simply want to use Idaho roads, not engage in commerce here.
--ITD officials note that the permits do not cover all of ITD’s administrative, technical, and legal costs associated with the movement of each megaload on Idaho’s roads. Idaho taxpayers will be subsidizing the planet's richest corporations. That fact runs counter to the concept of real, citizen-involved, "commerce."
Thank you, all.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Kooskia, Idaho ~ Gateway to the Wilderness or Pit Stop along Big Oil's Tar Sands Alley?
Kooskia Crossing is a lovely and informative tourist area at the entrance to Kooskia, Idaho. Volunteers have spent years developing this area, which now boasts a handsome, illustrated "Welcome" sign, multi-paneled information kiosk, and landscaped green space that volunteers spruce up and groom each year. One feature of the area is a beautiful metal sculpture celebrating the salmon and their native home, the Clearwater River. But now one's view of the salmon includes the giant megaload you see in the background. If the hundreds of proposed megaloads of Exxon/Imperial, Harvest, Shell and other tar sands oil companies are permitted for shipment along U.S.12, these giant loads will sit here almost daily for decades to come.
Speaking of salmon, one environmental concern of a megaload accident on U.S. 12 is damage to critical salmon spawning grounds. A load the scale of the megaloads could create an immediate dam if it fell into the Lochsa. Since Exxon's shipping company Mammoet had two accidents in the past year while driving on dry flat wide roads, it's no stretch of imagination to envision their having a slip-off or tip-over on curvy, narrow U.S. 12. A decline in salmon and other fish populations will be felt throughout north central Idaho's economy. Right now, today, in just a 2-mile stretch of the Middle Fork, 18 fishermen are fishing. They buy groceries, cafe meals, fishing gear, gas and rooms.
The question for local residents is what does the future hold for our children. We live next to the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 and enjoy 3 pristine wild and scenic rivers in our backyard. These are our greatest, most valuable natural resource assets. They are worth protecting - not just for their physical beauty, abundant hunting and fishing and many other recreation opportunities - but because they have value to visitors from around the nation and world and offer a substantial base for a healthy long-term tourism industry. Our area becomes more valuable to tourists and Idahoans alike only for as long as we protect the natural, remarkable wild and scenic qualities of North Central Idaho and ensure access to our wildlands and rivers. If instead we choose to take a few quick bucks now from oil companies wanting to turn our the highway into an industrial megaload truck route, we stand to loose normal access in the present and our only growing industry in the future. What may look like easy money to some comes with a price tag for our children and grandchildren - deteriorating roads, lower tax base, loss of access to public lands/rivers, and loss of value of our greatest asset.
Photo by Gail Renshaw
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
HIGHWAY 12 MEGALOAD UPDATE
UPDATE ON FIRST MEGALOAD SHIPMENT ON HIGHWAY 12
ConocoPhillips transport of megaload #1, which began Feb. 1st, had been scheduled to take 4 nights to travel from Lewiston, Idaho, to the Montana border. Instead it took 6 nights of driving over a two week period. According to ITD comments in news reports, weather held the load up in Kooskia from the morning of Thursday, Feb. 3rd, until Tuesday night Feb. 8th although local weather conditions were relatively mild during that period. It was snowing on the valley floor when they finally left Kooskia. Here are some stories and headlines from the first half of February:
Feb. 1 -- ConocoPhillips Megaload leaves Port of Lewiston, bound for Billings
Feb. 4 -- Megaloads hit mega snag, again (krem.com) ...The ConocoPhillips transport trailer...scraped a rock outcropping enroute on Wednesday night... Article, video, & scrape photo: http://www.krem.com/news/New-plan-required-after-megaload-causes-long-delay-115300374.html
Feb. 4 -- New plan required after megaload causes long delay (kxly.com) The Idaho Transportation Department says it is requiring ConocoPhillips to submit a new plan before allowing the oil company to send a second giant truckload of refinery equipment after the first caused a 59-minute traffic delay at a sharp curve on U.S. Highway 12. Article: http://www.kxly.com/news/26745699/detail.html
Feb. 5 -- Snowy roads, traffic delay violations stall ConocoPhillips megaloads (Missoulian) Big trouble for a big rig in Idaho: There's snow on Lolo Pass and non-moving violations below ... Inclement midwinter weather stalled CP's first megaload ...for the second night. Meanwhile, Conoco's moving company, Emmert International, was scrambling to come up with a new plan for a particularly winding stretch of U.S. Highway 12 on which traffic was held up 10 times for more than 15 minutes ... earlier this week. Article:http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_b2f65056-307a-11e0-8332-001cc4c002e0.html
Feb. 10 Megaload crawling toward Montana; Weather, other issues are causing journey to take longer than planned (Lewiston Tribune)
Feb. 12 -- ITD News Release: Saturday, February 12, 2011, ConocoPhillips shipment on U.S. 12 safely reaches Idaho/Montana border
INTERESTING NEW DEVELOPMENTS TAKE PLACE CONCERNING IMPERIAL OIL MEGALOADS:
Feb. 15 - When questioned by concerned citizens about the use of Highway 12 for such massive loads, Imperial Oil spokesmen as well as Governor Otter insisted that these loads could not be made any smaller and that Highway 12 was the only option to transport this equipment. Imperial/Exxon is now doing what they previously said was impossible by downsizing some of their loads and diverting other loads onto interstates. Read the stories here:
Imperial Oil downsizing megaloads at Port of Lewiston. http://www.klewtv.com/news/116282134.html
Massive Refinery Parts En Route to Kearl ProjectImperial/Exxon has begun diverting some megaloads onto Washington Interstates. Read the story originally printed in the Lewiston Tribune here:
http://www.downstreamtoday.com/news/article.aspx?a_id=25689&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
ConocoPhillips transport of megaload #1, which began Feb. 1st, had been scheduled to take 4 nights to travel from Lewiston, Idaho, to the Montana border. Instead it took 6 nights of driving over a two week period. According to ITD comments in news reports, weather held the load up in Kooskia from the morning of Thursday, Feb. 3rd, until Tuesday night Feb. 8th although local weather conditions were relatively mild during that period. It was snowing on the valley floor when they finally left Kooskia. Here are some stories and headlines from the first half of February:
Feb. 1 -- ConocoPhillips Megaload leaves Port of Lewiston, bound for Billings
Feb. 4 -- Megaloads hit mega snag, again (krem.com) ...The ConocoPhillips transport trailer...scraped a rock outcropping enroute on Wednesday night... Article, video, & scrape photo: http://www.krem.com/news/New-plan-required-after-megaload-causes-long-delay-115300374.html
Feb. 4 -- New plan required after megaload causes long delay (kxly.com) The Idaho Transportation Department says it is requiring ConocoPhillips to submit a new plan before allowing the oil company to send a second giant truckload of refinery equipment after the first caused a 59-minute traffic delay at a sharp curve on U.S. Highway 12. Article: http://www.kxly.com/news/26745699/detail.html
Feb. 5 -- Snowy roads, traffic delay violations stall ConocoPhillips megaloads (Missoulian) Big trouble for a big rig in Idaho: There's snow on Lolo Pass and non-moving violations below ... Inclement midwinter weather stalled CP's first megaload ...for the second night. Meanwhile, Conoco's moving company, Emmert International, was scrambling to come up with a new plan for a particularly winding stretch of U.S. Highway 12 on which traffic was held up 10 times for more than 15 minutes ... earlier this week. Article:http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/article_b2f65056-307a-11e0-8332-001cc4c002e0.html
Feb. 10 Megaload crawling toward Montana; Weather, other issues are causing journey to take longer than planned (Lewiston Tribune)
Feb. 12 -- ITD News Release: Saturday, February 12, 2011, ConocoPhillips shipment on U.S. 12 safely reaches Idaho/Montana border
INTERESTING NEW DEVELOPMENTS TAKE PLACE CONCERNING IMPERIAL OIL MEGALOADS:
Feb. 15 - When questioned by concerned citizens about the use of Highway 12 for such massive loads, Imperial Oil spokesmen as well as Governor Otter insisted that these loads could not be made any smaller and that Highway 12 was the only option to transport this equipment. Imperial/Exxon is now doing what they previously said was impossible by downsizing some of their loads and diverting other loads onto interstates. Read the stories here:
Imperial Oil downsizing megaloads at Port of Lewiston. http://www.klewtv.com/news/116282134.html
Massive Refinery Parts En Route to Kearl ProjectImperial/Exxon has begun diverting some megaloads onto Washington Interstates. Read the story originally printed in the Lewiston Tribune here:
http://www.downstreamtoday.com/news/article.aspx?a_id=25689&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Dave King's Surrealistic Photo Views of a Surrealistic Behemoth
These photos may be freely used -- with a photo credit line: Photos by Dave King.
Friday, February 4, 2011
1st MegaLoad Stuck at Kooskia Due to Snowstorm
The first ConocoPhillips megaload has been stalled in Kooskia due to snow from Lowell to Lolo Pass, snow predicted to dump 9-20 inches near the pass during the next 4 days. The Kooskia weigh station, parking area and interpretive station are cordoned off while they wait - no public parking is allowed.
Current AP Story on the loads:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41376912/ns/business-oil_and_energy/
Breaking News:
ITD requires new transportation plan for 2nd Conoco megaload - read the story here:
http://www.kxly.com/news/26745699/detail.html
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Pictures of First Conoco Load on Highway 12
Emmert Int'l began hauling the first ConocoPhillips load from Lewiston, Idaho to just outside of Orofino on February 1st. Below are pictures from the move as well as the loads parked at mile post 38.8 on Feb. 2nd
photo by Brett Haverstick
photo by Brett Haverstick
photo by Ken Hagele
photo by Ken Hagele
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