A Project of Sage Steppe Wild
House panel rejects megaloads hearing requirement, won’t introduce bill. Spokesman-Review
Representative JoAn Wood is quoted in the article. According to Ballotpedia, “Wood is a business partner in a trucking/farming company.”
You can see the company in Eastern Idaho on your way St. Anthony. Government by conflict of interest; it is a principle of Idaho government.
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Dr. Ralph Maughan is professor emeritus of political science at Idaho State University. He was a Western Watersheds Project Board Member off and on for many years, and was also its President for several years. For a long time he produced Ralph Maughan’s Wolf Report. He was a founder of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. He and Jackie Johnson Maughan wrote three editions of “Hiking Idaho.” He also wrote “Beyond the Tetons” and “Backpacking Wyoming’s Teton and Washakie Wilderness.” He created and is the administrator of The Wildlife News.
Comments
Tom Trail presented a good trail – let the people speak on these megaloads.
And the transportation board graciously accepts the table scraps of Korea & ConocoPhillips…….
Read this. Payette officials feel left out of the loop on drilling. Idaho Statesman.
It’s about Otter and the other state elected officials ignoring local county commissioners who fear fracking for natural gas wells will pollute the city’s drinking water.
These Idaho State elected officials should just go to the international oil companies and pick up their checks there because that’s who they represent. At least, it would save us a little bit of salary money.
What does that tell you when even drilling supporters are complaining about being railroaded?
Clearly the most profitable business model for oil & gas companies is still to lobby and circumevent proper procedure whenever possible. It’s not about conforming to actual environmental standards, it’s about conforming just enough to cover the ass of the politicians who are rolling out the red carpet. It’s okay if people get pissed off, as long as they don’t get pissed off enough to actually jeopordize anyone’s job during the next election. What’s the perfect amount that you can piss people off, but not quite enough for them to organize and do anything meaningful about it? Not only at the local level, but at the state & national level as well?
I hate to admit it, but in a way I actually admire how well oil & gas companies perform this feat time and time again. I don’t think some people realize how much time and effort a lot of intelligent employees from multiple disciplines have put into perfecting this process.
This will always be their way of doing things until strong regulations & penalties actually change their business model to the point where the most profitable outcome actually means conforming to those strong regulations instead of cheating.
Ralph
++It’s about Otter and the other state elected officials ignoring local county commissioners who fear fracking for natural gas wells will pollute the city’s drinking water. ++
The last that I knew Idaho was the only state, except Hawaii, that has never produced any hydro carbons. Oregon has a small gas along the Columbia and Washington has produced crude oil in Gig harbor in the 40’s. Has there been a natural gas find in Idaho recently?
ELK275,
This article may answer your question:
http://www.idahostatesman.com/2010/06/16/1233175/natural-gas-simmers-below-valley.html#
I justed talked with president of the Northwest Petroleum Association who I used to work for and he did not know of any gas finds in Idaho. There has been little recent interest in gas due to the price. This is news.
Ralph,
Short on facts article about fracking possibly causing earthquake swarms:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/17/guy-earthquake-swarm-arkansas_n_824497.html
hydraulic fracturing is exempted from the SDWA:
http://www.marcellus-shale.us/2005-Energy-Act.htm
I don’t know how many SDWA regulated wells are in the potential impacet zone. There are several private wells in the area, domestic and ag, that don’t fall under SDWA protection.
I do find it ironic that the citizens in Payette County felt that the fix was in and they were kept out of the loop during the AEHI preliminary approval process, that the decision was made in a vacuum with no public input.
Now the very commissioners accused of doing that shortly thereafter get some of their own medicine.
Another disturbing element to this is that the lease falls under the IDOL. The IDOL doesn’t have the technical expertise to adequately assess the complex issues associated with this type of activity. Much like the megaloads permit that were written by ConocoPhilips for ITD, IDOL will likely take whatever report Bridge hands them, add the permit number, collect the nominal fee and a fracking they will go.
The bonding requirement should be proportionate to the expected revenues and related remediation, new source water for impacted wells if needed etc.
you folks have it all wrong….megaloads and fracking are great things. They create jobs, provide $ for the communities, blah blah blah. It’s just a problem if you happen to live in the areas where these monstrosities are rolling thru or near where some company is pumping hundreds of toxic chemicals in their fracking fluids into the ground and your drinking water.
We’re just the little people on the short end of the stick when it comes to politicians, money and the businesses who buy their way into everything. Don’t think they’ll be any megaloads near Butch’s house or fracking wells for that matter….very disheartening indeed
Here is a news clip:
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/article_cdd68b74-3945-11e0-8adb-001cc4c03286.html
Not on topic but I took the Blacks Creek exit outside Boise and the little commuter parking lot is closed now becuase of a mining operation going on there!