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<p class=MsoNormal>Courtesy of the Lewiston Tribune.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>----------------------------------------------------------------------------<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Judge denies issuance of permit allowing mega-loads on
Highway 12<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>August 24, 2010, 4:30 pm<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Second District Judge John Bradbury denied the issuance of a
permit today allowing four mega-truckloads from traveling on U.S. Highway 12
from Lewiston to a refinery in Billings, Mont. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Bradbury based his decision, in part, on the length of time
the Idaho Transportation Department agreed to allow ConocoPhillips to block
traffic on Highway 12.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>"On the face of the Department's Memorandum of
Decision, it is clear that the permits were issued while allowing for delays of
up to fifteen minutes, which of course would also not allow for passing at
least more frequently than every ten minutes, and thus its decision is
arbitrary, capricious, and an abuse of discretion," Bradbury said in his
ruling<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The Idaho Transportation Department issued the permits
Friday for the loads to start their journey along U.S. Highway 12 to a
ConocoPhillips refinery in Billings, Mont. But the agency promised not to allow
the trips to start until the court made a ruling.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The loads have to cross the Arrow Bridge by Sunday or risk
being stuck in Lewiston until sometime in October because of the construction
schedule for the bridge. One side has been resurfaced and there's a
construction break before the second phase starts.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Bradbury's ruling follows an intense two-hour hearing
Monday. Bradbury listened to arguments from Boise-based attorneys representing
ConocoPhillips, ITD, Borg Hendrickson, Linwood Laughy and Peter Grubb. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Hendrickson, Laughy and Grubb filed the lawsuit last week
aiming to block the loads. The plaintiffs contend ConocoPhillips' plans to send
trucks taking up two lanes down U.S. Highway 12 would threaten public safety,
hurt tourism and potentially harm the scenic river corridor. Their attorneys
are from Advocates for the West. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Bradbury asked attorneys from ITD and ConocoPhillips a
number of pointed questions. Among them was when ITD had reached its decision
to issue the permits and why the transportation department was allowing the
trucks to travel for 15 minutes before allowing traffic to pass when Idaho code
specifies 10-minute intervals. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Bradbury remanded the issue to ITD for further proceedings. <o:p></o:p></p>
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padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in'>
<p class=MsoNormal style='border:none;padding:0in'><o:p> </o:p></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Seeya round town, Moscow.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Tom Hansen<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Moscow, Idaho<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>"Corporations
are an oppressed minority forced to move headquarters from state to state in
search of friendlier tax codes--sometimes being forced to live just off our
shores in tiny mailboxes." <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"'>- John
Oliver, The Daily Show<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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