GREAT NEWS:
THE Uinta basin railway project has been halted (for now)
On Friday (8/18/23) a federal judge ruled that the Surface Transportation Board did not adequately account for the community risks, environmental damage and uncertain financial viability of the Uinta Basin Railway Project when it granted its approval in 2021. This means that the Surface Transportation Board must now redo its environmental review of the project. Friday’s unanimous decision by the US Court of Appeals could be taken to the US Supreme Court by the project’s backers. Alternatively, the UBR Project backers could wait for the results of the new environmental review study, a process which took 3 years for the original study. If the Surface Transportation Board decides to begin another environmental review for the UBR project, it will face much more scrutiny and opposition, now that public awareness of this misguided project has been greatly increased.
The full ruling from the US Court of Appeals can be read HERE
What is the UBR?
If approved, the UBR will haul millions of barrels of hot waxy crude oil across Colorado by rail as it travels hundreds of miles along the Colorado River. Up to 10 trains per day – each one up to 1-2 miles in length with an estimated 100 cars – will rumble through Grizzly Canyon, Gore Canyon, the Moffat Tunnel and downtown Denver on the way from Utah to the Gulf Coast for refinement. With the frequency of wildfires, rockslides, mudslides, avalanches, and flooding throughout the west, a derailment poses an unthinkable threat to the 40 million people who rely on the Colorado River to survive. Get more info on our UBR page here.