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<H1><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Here’s another
great editorial from the Tribune. Thanks to Marty
Trillhaase.</FONT></FONT></H1>
<H1><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Why is the Idaho
taxpayer paying for the megaloads? BL</FONT></FONT></H1>
<H1><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">-----------------------------------------------
</FONT></FONT></H1>
<H1><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">Lewiston
Tribune</FONT></FONT></H1>
<H1><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 18pt">The last thing
megaloaders need is a subsidy </FONT></FONT></H1>
<P><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman">Marty Trillhaase | Posted: Saturday,
February 4, 2012 12:00 am </FONT></STRONG></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Last year, more than 70 megaloads traveled
across north central Idaho highways - often with an unofficial subsidy courtesy
of the Idaho taxpayer and motorist.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Among them were 10 shipments along U.S. Highway
12, including four from ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil's experimental module. At
one time, ExxonMobil spoke about running 200 of these rolling roadblocks up U.S.
12 en route to the Alberta tar sands project.</FONT></P>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">At the same time, ExxonMobil reconfigured
megaloads parked at the Port of Lewiston for interstate highway travel and moved
64 of them up U.S. Highway 95.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Each of them paid an over-legal permit fee to
the Idaho Transportation Department. ConocoPhillips was charged an average of
$2,210 per trip. ExxonMobil's transports paid, on average, $175. The companies
also reimbursed what Idaho spent clearing the highways of snow and for extra law
enforcement.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">But from the time the megaload plans appeared on
the scene, it was obvious the state wasn't charging enough.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">For starters, the fees Idaho charges for the
routine task of permitting 65,000 trucks annually that are heavier and bigger
than standard-sized rigs haven't been updated in five years. Those fees now fall
about $643,000 short of covering ITD's processing costs.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">That's the kind of thing that happens when a
state's political mentality confuses fees with taxes. Last year, Idaho lawmakers
even refused to increase court costs by $1.50 just to pay for more police
officer training.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Now factor in the megaload funding gap. Idaho
never envisioned the scope of demands megaloads would place upon its
transportation department. These included the hours Idaho engineers devoted to
double-checking the structural sturdiness of bridges along the megaloads'
intended route. Or the time engineers spent analyzing how the megaloaders
planned to interact with other truckers, motorists and emergency responders on
the highways.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Not to mention the hours ITD staffers burned up
conducting public hearings or responding to inquiries. Plus there are the legal
fees ITD incurred during two contested rule hearings. Just one involving the
ExxonMobil shipments cost more than $80,000.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">You'll get an argument about how much this all
costs. The Tribune's Elaine Williams went through the numbers last month and
found $190,012 in megaload expenses, some of which was reimbursed by the
transport companies.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">How much this is costing you is elusive because
ITD doesn't track it.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Now pending before the Legislature is an
ITD-sponsored rule that would increase its over-sized truck permits from $18 to
$70 each. That addresses the $643,000 gap.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">The same measure also empowers ITD to seek
reimbursement of the extraordinary costs associated with megaloads. One
provision would require megaload transport companies or clients to hire their
own engineers to analyze bridge networks. ITD would then review the
report.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">From there, ITD would have to decide what is a
routine expense it would absorb and when it should send megaloaders a
bill.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Perhaps this is fighting the last war. Only 14
shipments remain parked at the Port of Lewiston. Other than a couple of
inquiries from Harvest Energy, ITD has no megaload applications in its
pipeline.</FONT></P></DIV>
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<P><FONT face="Times New Roman">Still, given the scope of ExxonMobil's initial
plan, you can't be sure whether this is merely a temporary lull. What better
time to calmly assess how much engineering, analysis and safeguarding these
shipments really demand and making clear it will be the transporters, not the
public, who pay the freight? -M.T.</FONT></P></DIV></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>