Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
June 2012
Exxon’s frightening plan called for hauling mining equipment, some of it as
long as 210 feet and over 300,000 pounds, through this vulnerable ecosystem
and onward to Canada.
Not only would building the transportation corridor have destroyed one of
the most beautiful stretches of the Lewis and Clark trail, it would have
paved the way for Exxon to extract more oil through the dirty process of tar
sands mining.
This is a win for the environment worth celebrating.
Last week, we succeeded in bringing down a Goliath ... none other than Exxon
Mobil.
Thanks to your activism, we forced the oil giant to back down in its quest
to turn a remote and wild stretch of the Rocky Mountains into an industrial
transportation corridor.
Exxon has formally withdrawn its application with the state of Montana to
ship thousands of mega-sized tractor trailers, filled with tar sands
equipment, along the pristine Lolo Pass, high up in the Rocky Mountains.
Since we first learned of Exxon’s plans in 2010, tens of thousands of
BioGems Defenders like you stood strong in vocally opposing Exxon’s
dangerous “mega-load” scheme.
Your messages to the state of Montana and the U.S. Forest Service helped
persuade officials to delay the project last year. Now, in the face of
overwhelming public opposition, Exxon has officially thrown in the towel.
Your messages to the state of Montana and the U.S. Forest Service helped
persuade officials to delay the project last year. Now, in the face of
overwhelming public opposition, Exxon has officially thrown in the towel.
We couldn’t have done it without you.
Exxon’s frightening plan called for hauling mining equipment, some of it as
long as 210 feet and over 300,000 pounds, through this vulnerable ecosystem
and onward to Canada.
Not only would building the transportation corridor have destroyed one of
the most beautiful stretches of the Lewis and Clark trail, it would have
paved the way for Exxon to extract more oil through the dirty process of tar
sands mining.
In Canada, tar sands development has already caused devastation in the
boreal forest -- creating vast toxic waste sites, destroying critical
wildlife habitat for millions of migratory birds, and generating three times
the amount of global warming pollution as conventional fuel production.
With this victory, residents in Rocky Mountain communities on both sides of
the border can breathe easier.
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