Megaload Arrives In Billings Area Today -- Not a Bakken Story

The ConocoPhillips megaload has finally reached the Billings area. What a great story.

This is the first of two new cokers to be installed at the COP refinery in Billings, Montana.

It caught my eye simply because of the controversy about allowing loads of this size travel down public highways.

Some data points:

• 300-ton load
• Originated in South Korea
• Barged 300 miles up the the Columbia River to Lewiston, Idaho
• Exciting movement over Lolo Pass, Rocky Mountains (memorable quote by observer: "Hey, it's not as big as I thought it would be.")
• Idaho environmentalists tried to stop the movement across Idaho
• Montana environmentalists tried to stop the movement across Montana
• One more megaload waiting back at Lewiston; that second megaload should reach Billings by June, 2011

Emmert International did a fine job moving this first megaload.

One can track updates here.