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SALT LAKE CITY — The U.S. Forest Service has signed off on the last piece of land needed for a new 88-mile railroad line to cut through the Uintah Basin, bringing delight to state and local governments and those in the energy sector and sparking disdain from environmental advocates.
"This is a huge victory that will get Utah energy to market faster, more cleanly, more safely and will help the economies of eastern Utah," said Gov. Spencer Cox, in a statement Thursday afternoon.
Susan Eickhoff, the supervisor for Ashley National Forest, signed off on the use of 12 miles in the forest needed for the Uinta Basin Railway project, according to a record of decision document released on Thursday. It follows a similar decision by the U.S. Surface Transportation Board back in December.
The decision was expected after the U.S. Forest Service informed the Center for Biological Diversity and other conservation groups fighting the project on July 5 that the project had cleared all the major regulations needed for it to move forward.
The Uinta Basin Railway is backed by the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, made up of Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, Emery, San Juan, Sevier and Uintah counties. Their goal was to build an 88-mile railroad line beginning just north of Price and jetting out toward the Uintah Basin.
The counties argued for the railroad because those in the Uintah Basin are major producers of hydrocarbons, phosphates and other minerals needed for transportation and agriculture, but the Uintah Basin is far from major railroad lines. The problem has forced all transportation to large trucks on two-lane highways, which the counties say results in increased road congestion, maintenance costs and safety concerns.
The Utah Governor's Office said it especially put Duchesne and Uintah at a "major competitive disadvantage" as it sought business investment. Meanwhile, the counties contend a railway will help promote economic stability, while the project would be paid for through mineral lease fees and railway shipments by private industry.
The final hurdle was the use of 12 miles through Ashley National Forest.
The Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and Utah Physicians for a Healthy Environment are among the conservation groups that opposed the plan, arguing that the railway will result in 350,000 more oil barrels a day, or 53 million tons of annual carbon pollution. They filed an objection to the project on Forest Service land at the end of last year.
But the agency ultimately rejected the objection earlier this month.
The groups opposed say the project goes against U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack's call on June 23 to "take bold actions to restore forests, improve resilience and address the climate crisis." Carly Ferro, the director of Utah Sierra Club, said she's concerned that the railway signals the possibility of other projects that she said could threaten ecosystems and environmental health.
"President (Joe) Biden should be doing everything in his power to respond to the climate emergency, but he's about to light one of the nation's biggest carbon bombs," added Deeda Seed, a campaigner for the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement last week, after the path was cleared for Eickhoff's decision.
"This is pouring another 5 billion gallons of oil on the fire every year and bulldozing a national forest in the process," she added. "It's a horrifying step in the wrong direction."
It wasn't clear Thursday when construction of the railway will begin or when it will be operational, but Cox celebrated it as a major victory for the region.
He said that it will help state and local governments, the Ute Tribe, energy producers and the rail companies who have sought the railway for some time.
"Without a doubt, this infrastructure will improve economic opportunities for individuals, families and businesses," Cox said. "We're excited to see the potential of this region unleashed."
