Thanks to Jeremy Jenkins for filming Alberta tar sands equipment roaring through the gauntlet of Moscow, Idaho, opposition during our 24th direct confrontation with Highway 95 megaloads on Tuesday, November 29.  If three previous transports stranded by weather at the milepost 405 parking area had also moved that night as planned, travelers could have encountered up to six rolling roadblocks on the 115 miles between Lewiston and Coeur d’Alene.  Instead, the parked loads supposedly moved on Wednesday evening, November 30, when the Idaho Transportation Department postponed another three smaller modules scheduled for Lewiston departure.  Several Tuesday protesters witnessed on-the-job flagger training as we stood at one of the busiest intersections in Moscow.  One experienced flagger constantly yelled instructions to a neophyte just before ExxonMobil again plundered our consciences and risked our resources and lives with unprepared contracted personnel.

ImperialOil/ExxonMobil’s ninth megaload on Highway 95, the second largest shipment to date, measuring 24 feet wide, 14 feet high, and 193 feet long and weighing 323,000 pounds, rolled through Moscow around midnight.  But ensuing events were radically different from the previous protest on August 25-26, which resulted in six arrests.  Moscow police constrained expressions of free speech and assembly by not allowing protesters to step into the street and not giving any second warnings before making arrests for which they were over-prepared.

(Video and heavily edited text provided by a megaload proponent)