[Vision2020] Questions About Semi-Megaloads in Moscow

[Tom Hansen]

Courtesy of today's (May 10, 2011) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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OUR VIEW: Questions about semimegaloads in Moscow
Lee Rozen, for the editorial board
Posted on: Tuesday, May 10, 2011


In the middle of about 60 nights this year, Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil wants
to send oil equipment convoys that are a block or so long, two lanes wide
and 16 feet tall rumbling and blinking north through downtown Moscow.

The Korean-built equipment would head from Lewiston via U.S. Highway 95,
Interstate 90 and Montana to the Kearl Oil Sands in Alberta. To get each
load from Lewiston to the Benewah County line should take one night
between 10 p.m. and 5:30 a.m. Officials promise traffic delays of no more
than 15 minutes.

But the travel plan is under review, and neither Idaho nor Montana has
issued the necessary permits, or said when they will. The Moscow
semi-megaload route has been chosen because of the delays in getting
megaloads up the scenic U.S. Highway 12 corridor.

ExxonMobil and Idaho Transportation Department officials have deigned to
listen to Moscow's concerns about that at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Hamilton
Indoor Recreation Center, 1724 E. F St.

At that meeting. ITD and oil company officials will talk first, and then
take questions and comments from those who have signed in. Also, you can
email your thoughts to the ITD at comments at itd.idaho.gov, and the City
Council at skalasz at ci.moscow.id.us.

Mayor Nancy Chaney apparently has declared the morality of ExxonMobil
profits, the Kearl Oil Sands project and fossil fuel consumption
off-limits for discussion Wednesday night.

ExxonMobil made profits of $10.7 billion in first quarter 2011. Some say
the Kearl Oil Sands project is destroying the Canadian environment and
killing residents of the area.

Still, that leaves plenty of questions that need answers:

Who makes sure delays are only 15 minutes? What happens if they aren't?

Will all cross-streets in Moscow be closed?

Is it a delay if traffic keeps moving at 15 miles an hour behind the
convoy? (The ITD says it isn't a delay; federal rules say it is.)

Who pays for moving power lines and stoplights out of the way?

Will this semi-megaload convoy be likely to wake me up when it goes by my
house or apartment?

Will you notify shippers - and the media so they can alert the public - in
advance of a convoy?

Once permits are issued, can their terms be changed without notice?

What if state police escorts get called to an emergency? Will that stall
the convoy?

What if Montana won't let the semi-megaloads in?

Let's hope we hear some good answers.

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Seeya there, Moscow.

Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho

"This is the 'Mouse that Roared,' 'David and Goliath' and 'Avatar' all
rolled into one.  We must remember that the thousands of citizens involved
in this effort to protect their personal and family safety, their
businesses and their lifestyles are confronting some of the largest
international corporations in the world."

- Linwood Laughy