Idaho tribe files suit to halt megaload headed to tar sands

SEATTLE — The Native American tribe that has blocked a narrow highway running through the central Idaho wilderness in order to stall a load carrying equipment to the tar sands in Canada has announced they have turned to a different tactic: a lawsuit.

The Nez Perce tribe announced that it had a filed suit demanding that federal wildlife officials halt the so-called megaload — reportedly stretching over 200 feet and weighing about 644,000 pounds — and prevent others like it.

Since Monday, members of the tribe have stood on Highway 12 each night to form a blockade as the shipment tried to move through. At least 20 people have been arrested, according to local authorities.

Tribal officials said they decided to file the lawsuit — in conjunction with the group Idaho Rivers United — after they believed they had “been left with no other option.�

“The tribe has exhausted all avenues of diplomacy and outreach to elevate this issue so that it was properly addressed by the United States but we received no redress,� Silas Whitman, chairman of the Nez Perce executive tribal committee, said in a prepared statement.

He added that the area the load was passing through — “our homeland,� he said — “is vitally important to the economy, culture, history and spirit of the Nez Perce people.� The tribe’s intent is to “prevent the transformation of a resource-rich area into an industrial high-and-wide corridor.�

The U.S. Forest Service did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

The carrier of the megaload, Oregon-based Omega Morgan, declined to comment Friday. A company spokeswoman said the company hadn’t received the suit.

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