Idaho Tribe Blocks Mega Load Caravan Briefly

UNDATED (AP) — A massive shipment of oil refinery equipment has resumed its journey along U.S. Highway 12 in Idaho after protesters on the Nez Perce Reservation temporarily blocked it. The Lewiston Tribune reports a barrier of police vehicles kept protesters away from the load early this morning as it moved east near the Clearwater River Casino. The state issued a permit last week allowing Omega Morgan to begin hauling two giant water purification units to an oil sands project in Canada.

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The first of two massive shipments of oil refinery equipment has started its trek along scenic U.S. Highway 12 en route to Canada. Members of the Nez Perce Tribe say they plan to intercept the caravan if it reaches tribal land in Idaho.

The Lewiston Tribune reports the load departed the Port of Wilma, near Clarkston, Wash., shortly before 11 p.m. Monday. The two-lane highway in Idaho passes through the Nez Perce reservation and a federally designated Wild and Scenic River corridor.

Idaho issued a permit last week allowing Omega Morgan to begin hauling two giant water purification units, measuring 225 feet long, 21 feet wide and weighing 644,000 pounds, across the state, into Montana and on to the oil sands project in Alberta, Canada.