Early on March 10, trucks hauling ConocoPhillips’ huge refinery equipment passed through Missoula, the most urban part of their journey from Lewiston, Idaho, to Billings, Montana.
According to Montana Department of Transportation regulations, the big-rig machinery was cleared to move at midnight, but didn’t begin the drive until just before 1 a.m.
As soon as the rigs planned movement was confirmed, opponents were ready in what organizer Zack Porter called “impromptu” but “well-planned” demonstrations. Around 5:30 p.m., around 60 protesters, most carrying signs regarding big oil, walked south on Higgins Street, chanting variations of, “Hey, hey! Ho, ho! These mega-loads have got to go!”
Several hours later on Reserve Street, the typically quiet late night buzzed with activity. Workers hustled to set out orange traffic cones and to remove overhead road signs. A large crowd gathered near the intersection of Reserve and South — the majority of them protesters, although a few people who just wanted a glimpse also showed up. As the megaloads neared, the group swelled into the street, toward the trucks. They stayed in the street for several minutes, until officers compelled the crowd back to the sidewalks.
The rig equipment was enormous, pulled by a semi-truck, each around 26 feet high and 29 feet wide, weighing about 650 total tons and dwarfing nearby vehicles and people. Astounded at the trucks’ size, one woman shouted, “Oh, my god. They’re huge!”
The protesters followed the loads, relocating further north on Reserve Street, where the Montana Highway Patrol confirms at least one person was arrested.
Organized by All Against the Haul and the No Shipment Network, Porter said the rallies were intended to “tell our elected officials to make a choice — to stand with the corporations or to support small businesses that are the driving sector of our economy.”
The convoy reached Interstate 90 at about 3:30 a.m., and parked just before the Orange Street exit.
