Idaho Judge Says No to Resume Heavy Hauls

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a bid to reopen a scenic, two-lane highway in northern Idaho so a General Electric Co. subsidiary can resume shipments of massive oil-field equipment. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill issued the decision Thursday in the latest battle over the use of U.S. Highway 12 as a shipping route for the wide, long and heavy loads. Last month, Winmill issued an injunction that essentially blocked the company from hauling the megaloads through a federal protected Wild and Scenic River corridor. The company asked the judge to reconsider the decision — arguing it could lose millions of dollars if the equipment doesn't arrive at the oil sands in Canada on schedule. Attorneys for the company did not immediately return messages left Thursday by The Associated Press.