Nez Perce, CSKT seek to join lawsuit against oil equipment megaloads

By Kim Briggeman, of the Missoulian:

Two tribes along the route of the Kearl Module Transportation Project have asked to take part in litigation designed to halt it.

Western Montana’s Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, as well as the Nez Perce of Idaho, filed a motion in Missoula County District Court Wednesday asking to have their say in the suit against the Montana Department of Transportation.

“We’ve got some cultural interests in the area and we really would like to know a little more information on how potentially this could impact those areas,” CSKT spokesman Rob MacDonald said.

The Nez Perce tribe “supports the plaintiffs in the filing of the lawsuit and has filed an amicus brief because the tribe believes it brings a unique perspective to the issues involved with the case because of the tribe’s treaty,” McCoy Oatman, chairman of the Nez Perce Tribal Executive Committee, said in a statement.

If permitted by the court, the tribes will join four plaintiffs, including Missoula County, in arguing that MDT failed to analyze or disclose potential adverse impacts in its environmental assessment of Imperial Oil/ExxonMobil’s transportation plan.

Back and forth on the coke drums / big rigs

Snowy weather may delay controversial oil equipment shipments

By Associated Press Posted: Wednesday, December 29, 2010

BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Even if ConocoPhillips gets permits to transport huge coke drums through northcentral Idaho, snowy weather as well as legal appeals could put a hold shipments.
A hearing officer recommended Tuesday the Idaho Transportation Department issue four permits to allow ConocoPhillips to ship its oversized oil-refinery equipment from Lewiston, Idaho to Montana along U.S. Highway 12.
But agency director Brian Ness still must issue the permits.
And Idaho Transportation Department spokesman Jeff Stratten says road conditions would need to be judged safe by the agency's Lewiston district engineer.
What's more, the oil company's trucking crew must return to Lewiston, and even shipment supporters say they expect foes to appeal hearing officer Merlyn Clark's recommendation.
If that happens, the coke drums could be stuck in Lewiston for months.