Allie Pfeiffer, Moscow

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News 4/21/12

I just read Dan Carscallen’s letter to the editor this morning (Opinion, April 20), and while I was not surprised he felt the need to save his own skin, I thought he did it with rather poor form.

My first impression of his letter was not that he felt the need to present a dissenting opinion, but that he saw a golden opportunity to further his own agenda against Mayor Nancy Chaney.  If his sole desire was to express another opinion or “clear his name,” he could have done so without mentioning Chaney at all. Continue reading →

Dan Carscallen, Moscow

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News 4/20/12

When I discovered that Mayor Nancy Chaney was giving one of her annual Earth Day awards to the megaload protesters at Monday night’s council meeting, I was taken aback at her audacity and by her disregard toward the City Council and the Moscow Police Department, especially after the recent employee survey results.

I watched several “megaload protests” and was disappointed at the disrespect shown to not only our fine men and women in uniform but also the flaggers and drivers moving the equipment through town.  I’m sorry, but those folks are just earning a living, and in this day and age, any job is a good job.  If you have a problem with ExxonMobil, take it to ExxonMobil, don’t take it out on the hired help and for dang sure don’t take it out on the cops.

The cops weren’t out in force because the loads are coming through – they were out in force because there was no telling what some protester might try. Continue reading →

Richard Wesson, Pullman

The Moscow-Pullman Daily News 3/6/12

Here are two issues that megaload supporters should consider if they value a responsive and responsible government.

Without question, the transport of hundreds of insanely huge loads up U.S. Highway 12 will quite significantly alter the character and traditional use of that stretch of road and river. The adjacent businesses and the local residents along that route should rightfully expect at least some say in such a radical change to their neighborhood. Continue reading →

Marty Trillhaase, Editorial Page Editor, Lewiston

The Lewiston Tribune 2/4/12

Last year, more than 70 megaloads traveled across north central Idaho highways — often with an unofficial subsidy courtesy of the Idaho taxpayer and motorist.

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.

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.

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.

But from the time the megaload plans appeared on the scene, it was obvious the state wasn’t charging enough. Continue reading →

The Idaho Statesman Editorial Board, Boise

The Idaho Statesman 2/1/12

When it comes to the oversized truck shipments known as “megaloads,” everything is big. The size and weight, the controversy, the inconvenience to motorists stuck on the highway at the wrong time — and now, even the taxpayer subsidy.

The Idaho Transportation Department is supposed to recoup costs associated with the megaloads. But according to ITD, proceeds from shipping permits are falling some $645,000 short of covering annual costs.

How’s that for running government like a business?

Read more: Idaho Transportation Department: Sharing the Roads with Megafreeloaders

(Link provided by Borg Hendrickson)

Diana Armstrong, Moscow

The Lewiston Tribune 1/4/11

It’s a new year; everyone makes resolutions. I wonder what the Moscow City Council is doing about the Sustainable Environment Commission’s recommendations regarding the motion the council passed in May inviting the megaloads to Moscow. The commission has asked the council to rescind that statement and issue another.

That statement said the city council believed the movement of the megaloads through Moscow would not have “any inordinate impact on the infrastructure and community.” Depends on how you define “inordinate,” but there were disruptions, costs, and accidents. Continue reading →

Vince Murray, Moscow

The Lewiston Tribune 12/30/11

“Safety” is a buzzword that surfaces frequently when Idaho Transportation Department or city officials talk about “megaload” protests, something with which I think everyone can agree, yet this buzzword doesn’t seem to apply to the shippers of these loads.

Recently, these shipments led directly to a second accident on Highway 95. No one was severely injured, but given that ExxonMobil hopes to transport many more loads on our local highways, the odds increase that someone might be in the future. Continue reading →