Credit to two local citizens who have taken on the world’s most profitable corporation, oil octopus Exxon-Mobil and others-
Ah, some credit to two average folks fighting the international oil companies to try to save the economy, scenery, fish and wildlife of the area around U.S. Highway 12.
Idaho megaload foes win Dalton Open Government Award. By Dan Popkey. Idaho Statesman
“The Max Dalton Open Government Award has been given each year since 1999 to a citizen or group judged to be an outspoken advocate of openness in either public records or public meetings on the state or local level.”
Among many other activities trying to kill the megaload shipments across the scenic, narrow, north central Idaho highway, the Daltons exposed Butch Otter’s secret deal with the oil companies to turn Highway 12 into an industrial corridor on the way to the Alberta tar sand pits.
Comments
Having taken Lin steelhead fishing awhile back, and knowing both of these fine folks, I would hardly call them average, but I am certainly glad they won this award. They rightly deserve it.
IMO these people get it. They know what real wolves look like – the ones like Otter lurking in the dark, sharpening his claws with backroom deals while parading around in sheeps clothing.
While I am a huge advocate for wolves and salmon, it still amazes me that the mega issues represented by the Megaloads, and will have more long term repercussions than the various species skirmishes, continue to get little attention/responce comparatively. Climate change, Kearl Sands, Drill Baby Drill, Corporate Giganticism, Disaster Capitalism, an ugly umbrella overshadowing all ecological problems, marchs right along, as wolf issue ride the tide of emotionalism and divert attention from things that will have far more detrimental effects to all those smaller battles.
Compare the number of responses between any given wolf issue and megaloads on this blog. A good index for how much people succumb to emotionally charge issues. Just what the Corpratocracy wants and expects.
Long range, megaloads will have more impact to salmon and wolves, than ESA listing sqaubbles, and other rhetorical debates, that only side track the balancing act between the industrial economy and natures economy.
Cheers to Lin and Borg. You rock.
Amen.
The irony is Linn, Borg and the Advocates are not able to use those arguments in the hearings and probably any case against ITD in appeal. If HW 12 is allowed to become an industrial transportation corridor it means the foolishness of a Lewiston “seaport” and the necessity of maintaining the Snake River dams is assured.
and just think of how nice it will all be after the pollution kills off even more salmon… but another twenty people might have part time minimum wage jobs…
Well, I haven’t heard if Judge Redden has made any decisions yet. But, sometime soon he is suppose to be making a monumental ESA listing decision about salmon and dam removal option potential that could be a game changer. I’m keeping fingers crossed on both hands for that.
Also, there is still a lawsuit in Montana and the IRU vs USFS lawsuit in the near future that hopefully will grow to be much more than just a speed-bump to Exxon-Mobil. So far, the “fat lady” has not yet sang. Hopefully, the voice will be like that of Susan Boyle and the salmon will follow.
You can only wonder where a deals like this are worked out……At a fundraiser with check in hand? Staring over the 15th at Gozzer Ranch if they aren’t too busy hitting on the beverage cart girl?
Companies like Exxon and the politicans who bend over for them have such an advantage over folks like us in money and power. The voters have the ultimate power, but we continue to be hopelessly divided over issues that are much less important than the current corporate stranglehold on politics.
I’ve read the comment threads on megaload articles from local online news sites, and it’s amazing to see how some people support the megaloads for seemingly no other reason than it will “piss off the environmentalists”. Is that really where we are at now? It’s okay to chew up one of the most beautiful stretches of highway in the entire country for a few sign-holder jobs and some campaign contributions to political hacks?