[Vision2020] Day 70 on the Tortoise Trail

[Moscow Cares]

Courtesy of Linwood Laughy and Advocates for the West at:

https://www.advocateswest.org/news-and-events/tortoise-trail/
 
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Day 70 on the Tortoise Trail

Today General Electric’s giant water evaporator evades the rigors of a Montana winter in a warehouse in Bonner, 11 miles east of Missoula, while being “reconfigured” to meet Canadian transport requirements. Omega Morgan transporter will likely depart Bonner this week, although today’s forecast predicts heavy snow and hazardous conditions on Hwy 200 along the Blackfoot River. Now 70 days from Umatilla, the megaload has traveled 900 miles, averaging 13 miles per day.  In another 300 miles it will reach Canada, and then in 600 more, its tar sands destination. In November Omega Morgan predicted 20 days for the entire trip.

Since my last Tortoise Trail report of January 14, Omega Morgan lost a second week at Lost Trail Pass when the load’s 120 tires became iced in and attempts to free the load resulted in a “mechanical problem;” that is, a wiped-out transmission. The Idaho Transportation Department quickly came to the rescue. According to Omega’s guard at the site, ITD used 1000 gallons of de-icer to free the load.  An ITD maintenance foreman told a Post Register reporter, “It was probably 1000 gallons we put down there. It’s a long turnout, so it takes quite a bit.” Adam Rush, ITD spokesperson, reported in an e-mail “They let me know that nearly 1,000 gallons of salt brine was applied to one of the Omega Morgan equipment shipments after snow and ice accumulated in the pullout.” Within two days, according to a revised ITD report, that volume had magically shrunk to 20 gallons.

Blue-stained snow was not the only mess left at the two-week pullout. On the day after the megaload departed. The same Post Register reporter also noted “several piles of human waste and shop rags smeared with what appeared to be feces.” An Omega Morgan spokesperson told the press “There has been a very high interest in this move and we’ve attracted some onlookers while we are parked on the side of the road.” So, according to Omega Morgan, apparently onlookers are to blame—curious Idahoans who carry shop rags in their vehicles. The day after the megaload departed, ITD bladed the pullout, pushing remaining litter and stain over a bank along the North Fork of the Salmon River. “Routine maintenance,” ITD declared.  

No phrase has been more frequently used during the megaload wars than the false claim the load will pull over every 15 minutes to let traffic pass, as required by state regulations. However, for several days a bit of agency honesty did creep onto ITD’s 511 Traveler Information website as the megaload moved through eastern Idaho:Expect 30-minute delays due to an oversized load.

After finally topping Lost Trail Pass near midnight on January 20th the load traveled down the Bitterroot Valley in two nights to Lolo without major incident, then was stopped briefly in downtown Missoula by the passionate caring of a 71-year-old grandmother sitting in the roadway trying to protect her grandchildren from the climate chaos the loads will help unleash onto an ever-warming world. Indian Peoples Action round dancers expressed their grave concern for the next 7 generations while demonstrating their solidarity with Canadian First Nations.

Previous Tortoise Trail reports have included humor and history, an occasional dash of irony, and the factual data upon which this drama depends. However, observing my own state government’s slavish support for the largest environmental disaster ever perpetrated by mankind—at considerable present and future taxpayer expense and for the financial benefit of the most profitable corporations in the world—makes humor hard to find.

Linwood Laughy

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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
 
  
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