This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
12/5/2023
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia yesterday rejected a motion to rehear challenges to the proposed Uinta Basin Railway, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
In August, the court denied approval for the proposed 88-mile railroad, stating that the project’s environmental impact statement for the project was insufficient. The Surface Transportation Board in December 2021 had granted final approval for an exemption sought by the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition in Utah to construct and operate the Uinta Basin Railway.
The STB, which oversaw the environmental impact statement for the railroad, must now restart the process to address the issues raised in court, the newspaper reported. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must also vacate its previous opinion on the project’s biological impact.
The proposed railroad would connect the Uinta Basin, where 85% of Utah’s oil and gas production occurs, to the national rail network. The railroad would triple the state’s fossil fuel exports.