Closure order published Sept. 18 for section through the Lochsa-Clearwater Wild and Scenic River corridor- There was a similar headline about a month ago. Then Omega-Morgan transport, aided by a permit from Idaho Department of Transportation and law enforcement, bullied their way through the corridor. The Forest Service backed down in the face of this…
Federal judge blocks megaloads from Clearwater-Lochsa Wild and Scenic corridor BOISE — A federal judge this morning temporarily blocked additional megaload shipments through the Clearwater National Forest, America’s first Wild and Scenic River corridor and the homeland of the Nez Perce people. Federal Judge B. Lynn Winmill’s injunction was issued as part of a lawsuit…
Tribal leaders shoved aside by police leading the megaloads upriver- It was thought the megaloads issue on U.S Highway 12 across north central Idaho was finally settled by Federal Judge Lynn Winmill. Early this year he wrote a decision that the U.S. Forest Service has jurisdiction over any megaload seeking to traverse the Highway 12…
Orofino, Idaho. The Clearwater National Forest has denied the use of U.S. Highway 12 along the famed Lochsa River for the transport of megaloads bound for what some call the “tar sands hell” of south central Alberta. While the bulk of this battle was successfully fought a couple years ago by opponents of the transport…
Highway 12 application is not abandoned, but might be dead for practical purposes- Imperial oil, which is the Canadian version of Exxon-Mobil, has underscored what may be their abandonment of their controversial efforts to truck gigantic loads (hence “megaload”) up the scenic, narrow Clearwater and Lochsa River canyons into Montana and from there a controversial…
Montana judge’s ruling saves Lochsa River and local Idaho and Montana residents- Imperial Oil, Canadian spawn of ExxonMobil has announced they are going to try to break down the size of their tar sands-bound megaloads so that they won’t have to use narrow, winding, scenic U.S. Highway 12 through North Central Idaho and then Montana.…
It turns out the size of these monster loads of oil equipment can be reduced- We kept hearing that they had to come over Highway 12 and they were “X” big, . . . end of discussion. That wasn’t so. Permits have now been issued for smaller, giant loads. However, will this mean twice as…
Exxon Mobil is the world’s most profitable corporation- A new video about their megaloads through Idaho and Montana to their vast toxic pits in Alberta- Oil companies have colluded with the Idaho’s and Montana’s governors so they can make even more profits than if they built the machinery for the toxic Alberta tar sands mining…
Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.