Megaload violates terms of permit and breaks past blockade into the Wild and Scenic River Corridor

Idaho State Police hold up traffic to get megaload ahead of protesters-

U.S. Highway 12, Idaho. “Fighing Goliath” is an organization of local Highway 12 citizens trying to protect their property, lives, and beautiful outdoors from “Corporate Canada” and its enablers in Idaho government.

They have a blog detailing what is going on. We took the following from it about what happened on night 3 (Aug 7-8 night). The megaload got well beyond their planned destination with a phalanx of state troopers who held up legitimate traffic headed east on Highway 12 and the parked in violation of their state permit at Syringa inside the National Forest and the Wild and Scenic River corridor.

. . . . .

Night 3: As the megaload left Mile 38.8 below Orofino, for the third night, the Nez Perces blockaded it.

More police officers preceded the megaload than the previous 2 nights, and they aggressively drove their vehicles towards the blockade in an attempt to force the blockaders into retreating.  When the Nez Perces held their ground, officers approached on foot, shouted “get off the road,” and physically pushed some of the protesters toward the roadside.  Yet the Nez Perces remained in a group and gradually began to move backwards, intentionally slowly, as the police vehicles and megaload convoy were relegated to following at a snail’s pace for a mile or two through the Riverside area of Orofino.

The Omega Morgan megaload reached Hwy. 12 Milepost 90, Syringa, last night, within the Clearwater National Forest and the Wild & Scenic Middlefork corridor.  They did that by breaking the stipulations of their permit & filed travel plan.  Instead of stopping regularly to let traffic pass, as required, they held all cars traveling east hostage behind 2 Idaho State Police vehicles, who led what was at one point 40+ personal vehicles and forced them to travel at 0-17 mph speeds for 51.2 miles.  In other words, corporate Canada ‘owned’ and controlled your highway last night, aided by state police.

Folks can read the Fighting Goliath blog and read the above by scolling down. There are also photos mixed in of the protest and the backed up automobiles.

-end-


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Comments

  1. Kirk Robinson Avatar
    Kirk Robinson

    This makes me very angry. It looks like we now live in a corporate controlled police state. It reminds me of the late 60s and early 70s, when people were protesting the Vietnam war. Apparently the new boss is the same as the old boss.

  2. zach Avatar
    zach

    This is another sad day in American history. It is even more so sad that the people who had the power to execute their authority chose not to.

  3. SaveBears Avatar
    SaveBears

    Kirk, I lived during the same time you did, what you fail to realize, there is no NEW boss, it is the same boss we have had since JFK was killed, open your eyes man, we need to find a new strategy..

    1. Michael Koeppen Avatar
      Michael Koeppen

      SB, I totally agree with you concerning the “boss.” However, I am curious what new strategy you would recommend?

  4. WM Avatar
    WM

    What is the legal basis for the Nez Perce attempting to stop or impede the convoy, on a federal highway easement through a federally created reservation? What is the Federal Highway Administration’s view of this, especially with two state oversize load permits in hand, and all the necessary infrastructure in place to do the loads?

    Are these deviations from the permit activities (stopping points, etc.) material breaches of the permit, or were they agreed to by ID Highway folks as practical modications that were approved? That is a bit different from saying they violated their permit, but doesn’t make as good of a dastardly story to tell.

    1. MAD Avatar
      MAD

      this is a link to the complaint filed by Idaho Rivers United & the Nez Perce Tribe against the USFS

      http://www.idahorivers.org/pdf/IRU_NPT_Complaint.pdf

  5. CodyCoyote Avatar
    CodyCoyote

    … and you’all thought those Robber Barons went extinct after Teddy Roosevelt started busting up the trusts …

Author

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.

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