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This load being moved by Oregon-based Omega Morgan is water purification equipment bound
for the Alberta Tar Sands oil fields. Previous "megaloads" two years had generated some protests,
and lawsuits, that eventually halted shipments for a time over the Lolo route.
But this shipment has struck an even sharper note with opponents, including environmentalists,
local residents and the Nez Pearce Tribe, who turned out last week to slow the load
as it made its Idaho crossing.
However, the shipment had a much easier time coming through Missoula. For the first time,
a "megaload" made it all the way from Lolo Pass and through the Garden City in a single
night. About 30-protesters showed up on Reserve Street, briefly blocking the way until officers
convinced them to move along or face arrest.
While some opponents remain concerned about the traffic impacts of the megaload shipments,
much of the concern is still focused on the environmental impacts of the shipments, and
development of the oil fields...
STEVEN SCHORZMAN/PROTESTER "And it's just part of a larger set of fossil
fuel extraction issues that is sort of facing Montana right now. And we're just kind of
adding our voice to the mix and letting people know that we're out here and we're opposed
to this."
APRIL CHARLO/PROTESTER "Things are not supposed to come out of the
earth. Nothing is supposed to come out of the earth. Everything that is under there
we understand is supposed to stay there." From here on, the Omega Morgan load will be
making it's way up Highway 200 and then north along the Rocky Mountain Front. Generally
speaking, we're not expecting to see much more in the way of protests, although some
in Augusta and Choteau have been concerned about the traffic impacts of previous loads
and could show their opposition.
DB LIVE A second load is ready to roll on the same
root, but opponents are asking a federal judge to block that shipment.
Reporting live in Bonner, Dennis Bragg, MTN News.