Mike
Well-known member
Turner fights road paving
By The Associated Press
BOZEMAN - Lawyers for media mogul Ted Turner persuaded a district judge to issue a restraining order blocking Gallatin County from paving a five-mile stretch of road that runs through Turner's sprawling Flying D Ranch south of here.
Attorneys for Turner Enterprises Inc. obtained the order from District Judge John Brown. It bars the county from paving a segment of Spanish Creek Road.
Commissioners said the county has been planning to pave the road for years.
To save money, the county was planning to use millings - essentially ground-up rubble from other road projects - provided by the Montana Department of Transportation to pave the road. Joe Barr Coleman, an attorney representing Turner, said they sought the restraining order that was issued Monday because the millings could endanger water quality in Spanish Creek, which runs parallel to the road.
Turner asked Brown to stop the work until a full environmental review can be accomplished.
Under the Montana Environmental Protection Act, all agencies are required to research the environmental impacts of state projects, Coleman said.
"My understanding is this has not been done." he said.
"Paving the road will increase surface water runoff and contamination of the creek, thereby irreparably damaging water quality and fisheries, and will ruin the unspoiled viewshed, while making the road more dangerous for both vehicles and wildlife," Coleman said.
Commission Chairman Joe Skinner said the county has never had any violations or complaints about water quality from past road projects that used millings.
A meeting between the county and Turner's representatives last Friday left both Skinner and Commissioner Steve White with the impression everything was basically all right, White said.
"There was no mention of this action, there was no mention of anything about water quality," White said. "This whole thing is just a big surprise."
The gravel road carries about 450 vehicles a day, making it a prime candidate for paving. It also generates more than 200 hours of work a year for county road maintenance crews, work that would be reduced considerably by paving, White said.
Unfortunately, the county's cost to pave a road with asphalt is about $120,000 a mile, compared to about $20,000 a mile using millings. Without millings, the road will likely never be paved, White said.
And the state, which trucked in the millings for the project, will likely truck them away again if the project is held up for a significant time, White said.
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Is he fighting the use of millings?
If so, where are his "Environmental" concerns?
By The Associated Press
BOZEMAN - Lawyers for media mogul Ted Turner persuaded a district judge to issue a restraining order blocking Gallatin County from paving a five-mile stretch of road that runs through Turner's sprawling Flying D Ranch south of here.
Attorneys for Turner Enterprises Inc. obtained the order from District Judge John Brown. It bars the county from paving a segment of Spanish Creek Road.
Commissioners said the county has been planning to pave the road for years.
To save money, the county was planning to use millings - essentially ground-up rubble from other road projects - provided by the Montana Department of Transportation to pave the road. Joe Barr Coleman, an attorney representing Turner, said they sought the restraining order that was issued Monday because the millings could endanger water quality in Spanish Creek, which runs parallel to the road.
Turner asked Brown to stop the work until a full environmental review can be accomplished.
Under the Montana Environmental Protection Act, all agencies are required to research the environmental impacts of state projects, Coleman said.
"My understanding is this has not been done." he said.
"Paving the road will increase surface water runoff and contamination of the creek, thereby irreparably damaging water quality and fisheries, and will ruin the unspoiled viewshed, while making the road more dangerous for both vehicles and wildlife," Coleman said.
Commission Chairman Joe Skinner said the county has never had any violations or complaints about water quality from past road projects that used millings.
A meeting between the county and Turner's representatives last Friday left both Skinner and Commissioner Steve White with the impression everything was basically all right, White said.
"There was no mention of this action, there was no mention of anything about water quality," White said. "This whole thing is just a big surprise."
The gravel road carries about 450 vehicles a day, making it a prime candidate for paving. It also generates more than 200 hours of work a year for county road maintenance crews, work that would be reduced considerably by paving, White said.
Unfortunately, the county's cost to pave a road with asphalt is about $120,000 a mile, compared to about $20,000 a mile using millings. Without millings, the road will likely never be paved, White said.
And the state, which trucked in the millings for the project, will likely truck them away again if the project is held up for a significant time, White said.
*********************************************************
Is he fighting the use of millings?
If so, where are his "Environmental" concerns?
