Release from the Moscow Sustainable Environment Commission:

At the request of Mayor Chaney, and in accordance with our mission as a city commission (“to solicit advice and information about sound environmental management practices for promoting the public health and safety of the citizens of Moscow”), the City of Moscow’s Sustainable Environment Commission is holding an additional opportunity for public input on the potential impact of the megaloads passage through Moscow on our environment–people, infrastructure, businesses, and community life.

The meeting will be conducted as a Public Forum for the SEC to hear from a broader public prior to the SEC making any recommendations to the City Council on this issue. In an effort to hear from as many people as possible, we plan to limit individual statements to 3 minutes. We realize this is a short period of time, but we are choosing to err on the side of hearing from as many citizens as possible during our 2-hour time period. The hearing will take place on June 15, in the City Council Chambers, from 7-9 p.m.

Wednesday, June 15 · 7:00pm – 9:00pm

City of Moscow Council Chambers

206 E Third St

On June 18th people all over the globe will be taking to the streets as part of an International Day of Action Against the Tar Sands and I want you to join them.

For more info on upcoming local actions contact wild.idaho.rising.tide@gmail.com

BACKGROUND:

The Tar Sands are destroying forests, trampling indigenous rights, poisoning our atmosphere and river systems and threatening community health. On June 18th we will fight back globally. Demonstrations and protests are being organized around the world in the largest day of action against the Tar Sands ever.

Whether it’s forest destruction of areas that ultimately could equal the size of Scotland, toxic lakes that can be seen from space, the trampling of Indigenous rights or the poisoning of Canadian and US communities living near Tar Sands operations, turning Tar Sands into transportation fuel hurts our environment and communities every step of the way.

We need you to help draw a line in the sand and show companies and governments around the world that our future doesn’t contain this toxic resource. Take action with us on June 18!

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Photos from the citizens’ march against the heavy-haul in Moscow, Idaho.

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Thanks to everyone who helped to make this possible. The turnout was inspiring to say the least. Keep up the fight everyone!

University of Idaho students and regional activists with Wild Idaho Rising Tide marched across the UI campus in Moscow at midday on April 20th to display their opposition to the ExxonMobil transports planned for Idaho roads and bound for Alberta tar sands development. As part of the international Day of Action Against Extraction, north central Idahoans joined thousands of climate justice activists marking the anniversary of the BP oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico with public demonstrations and direct actions.

In solidarity with communities and ecosystems devastated by corporate extraction of fossil fuels and public natural resources, the dozen protesters carried signs saying, “Stop the Megaloads” and “Big Oil Has the Right-of-Way.” Their banners were strung on ropes between them that illustrated the 208-foot length and 24-foot width of the colossal oil company megaloads that could travel Highways 12 and 95.

Student members of the UI Oxfam and Environmental clubs, Corrie Ellis and Danie Merriman, said, “We feel we are representing university and Moscow students, and we are not O.K. with big business running over our town and us not having a voice in this matter. We are ready to be heard.”

Lee Spencer, a fisherman against tar sands exploitation, noted that, “My family and I have fished and lived on the Lochsa River for generations. It is a sacred place. It is not a corridor to facilitate the destruction of Alberta and the entire biosphere.”

The rally participants also voiced their displeasure with multi-national, dirty energy industries that sacrifice clean air, water, and lands and human health for their tax-free profits. Lewis-Clark State College Business Division lecturer Leslie Rist emphasized that, “It’s not nice to rape Mother Nature. Big Oil isn’t good business.”

The newly formed group is planning another march and rally on May 11th, when the Idaho Transportation Department and Imperial Oil, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil, will hold an interactive public meeting in Moscow. Many citizens and city officials have expressed concerns about the dozens of oversized shipments the oil company has proposed to move on Highway 95 through Moscow.

Megaload knocks out power at Pierce, Weippe

April 12, 2011, 11:36 am

About 1,300 homes and businesses in the Pierce and Weippe areas were without power for almost five hours this morning after an Imperial Oil test module hit a line supporting a transmission wire.

The outage started at about 1:45 a.m. following the incident on U.S. Highway 12, two miles east of Orofino, said Debbie Simock, a spokeswoman for Avista.

The megaload hit a supporting line triggering a pole holding it up to break and then the supporting line hit a transmission line that shorted, said Simock and a spokesman for the Idaho Transportation Department.

Traffic was delayed one hour instead of the 15 minutes that ITD is allowing, said Adam Rush, a spokesman for the transportation department.

The over-sized shipment is now parked at milepost 61, 13 miles short of Kooskia where it was supposed to arrive by 5:30 this morning, Rush said.

“No one was hurt,” said Pius Rolheiser, a spokesman for Imperial Oil.

No decision has been made about whether the test module will continue this evening on the next leg of its trip to Montana on U.S. 12, Rush said.

Rush’s employer is waiting for a report from Mammoet, Imperial Oil’s hired hauler, about what happened before it makes any decisions, Rush said.

– from http://www.lmtribune.com/breaking-news/1737/

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