Idaho DOT Appeals Oversized Load Ruling

The Idaho Department of Transportation has appealed a court ruling that revoked special DOT permits granted to ConocoPhillips to transport oversized loads of oil refinery equipment.

Filed Monday, the appeal to the state’s Supreme Court came in the wake of an Aug. 24 ruling in the state’s Second District Court.

That ruling said the DOT must reconsider the proposed shipments on U.S. Route 12 to ensure the department paid adequate attention to the public’s safety and convenience.

ConocoPhillips also filed an appeal with the state Supreme Court, the day after the lower court ruling.

The proposed shipments through Idaho, from Lewiston to the oil company’s refinery in Billings, Mont., has provoked protests from environmental and citizen groups.

Three of the groups went to court to block the oversized loads, claiming they “posed a threat to the environment, public safety and tourism,” the Associated Press reported.