[Vision2020] Support for Megaload Transportation

[Wayne Price]

Survey suggests most Highway 12 residents fine with mega-loads
By Jay Patrick
January 25th, 2011

The people have spoken and they say bring on the mega-loads.

That’s according to a coalition of a few dozen business associations  
that released the results of a poll they commissioned showing that 70  
percent of people living along Highway 12 are OK with oil companies  
trucking huge pieces of equipment across the state.
The polling firm Public Opinion Strategies in December conducted the  
questioning of 150 people living along the highway, and 450 people  
living in the Boise area and southwest Idaho, said Alex LaBeau  
president of the Idaho Association of Commerce and Industry, during a  
press conference at the Capitol Tuesday. The poll found that 52  
percent of southwestern Idaho residents favored letting the loads go  
through. The firm questioned people in that corner of the state –  
instead of, say,  north Idaho –  because of the media coverage there,  
LaBeau said.

The Idaho Transportation Department has issued permits to  
ConocoPhillips to move four halves of massive coke drums – which will  
block both lanes – 174 miles from Lewiston to Lolo Pass. The  
department is now working with another company that wants to truck 207  
loads of equipment across the state, and on to Alberta, and other  
shipments are expected if the route is established.“This is a well  
thought-out plan,” LaBeau said of ITD’s consideration of public  
safety and convenience in issuing permits for the Conoco shipments.

Twelve Highway 12 residents have challenged the permits in court and  
in a special hearing, but ITD Director Ness approved the permits  
earlier this month after an independent hearing officer found that ITD  
had followed procedure and properly reviewed shipment plans. Natalie  
Havlina, one of the lawyers representing the residents, said a  
decision about whether to challenge Ness’s decision in district court  
has not been made.

“It’s clear that despite the best efforts to undermine this project  
that is being orchestrated by organized out-of-state special  
interests, Idaho residents support job creation and new business  
investment,” said LaBeau in a press release.Havlina said load  
opponents aren’t anti-business and argue that the nighttime shipments  
could disrupt local commercial truck traffic.
Linwood Laughy, the Highway 12 resident who started the fight, told  
Public News Service that residents are contemplating challenging  
Ness’s decision and the 207 proposed shipments.“What has occurred  
with ConocoPhillips is really a dress rehearsal. Some of the legal  
issues are still out there. The only time that there’s been any  
decision made in a court of law about this, we won.”

At the press conference, LaBeau said a ruling against the loads could  
be bad news for companies across the state.“Setting any kind of  
precedence is problematic,” he said.Sen. Chuck Winder, on hand for  
the announcement, said: “This is about more than Highway 12.”

He dismissed the argument that loads should not be allowed on Highway  
12 because the remote, snaky, riverside route is unique and compared  
the mega-loads to the journey of Lewis and Clark.“You can’t hide  
behind ‘this is a scenic highway,’” said Winder.

At a joint meeting of the transportation committees of the House and  
Senate last week, Sen. John McGee, R-Caldwell, a former chairman of  
the senate transportation committee,  praised Brian Ness (who was  
there delivering ITD’s annual report) for his approval of the Conoco  
loads. Rep. Shirley Ringo, R-Moscow, disagreed. She questioned ITD’s  
planning and review of shipment plans. “It seems to me the process  
grew as we went along,” she said. “I hope at the end of this we  
have a process in place.”

Rep. JoAn Wood countered that ITD does follow a permitting process,  
which hearing officer Merlyn Clark validated in his decision

On Jan 27, 2011, at 9:04 AM, Moscow Cares wrote:

> Greetings Visionaires -
>
> The Highway 12 Megaloads portion of the Moscow Cares website has been
> updated to include:
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>
> Emails Concerning ISP Support for Megaload Transportation
>
> Series of email exchanges between Rep. Tom Trail, ITD Governmental  
> Affairs
> Manager Mollie McCarty, and Linwood Laughy.
> (January 19-26, 2011)
>
> http://www.moscowcares.com/Highway12/ISPsuppt_email_012611.htm
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>
> Additional information regarding the Highway 12 megaloads may be  
> accessed at:
>
> http://www.moscowcares.com/Highway12/
>
> Seeya round town, Moscow, because . . .
>
> "Moscow Cares"
> http://www.MoscowCares.com
>
> Tom Hansen
> Moscow, Idaho
>
>
> =======================================================
> List services made available by First Step Internet,
> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
>               http://www.fsr.net
>          mailto:Vision2020 at moscow.com
> =======================================================

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