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Federal, state, and local lawmakers oppose Uinta Basin Railway in Glenwood Canyon

Joe Negeuse talks on the banks of the Colorado River, while Michael Bennet looks on in agreement.
Caroline Llanes
/
Aspen Public Radio
U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) and U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) stand on the banks of the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon and answer questions about their efforts with federal agencies to get action on the railroad paused.

Pueden encontrar la versión en español aquí.

U.S. Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO) and U.S. Representative Joe Neguse (D-CO) joined local lawmakers in Glenwood Springs on Friday to oppose the Uinta Basin Railway.

It would use existing tracks directly along 100 miles of the Colorado River, including through Glenwood Canyon, the upper Colorado east of Dotsero, and Gore Canyon, to transport waxy crude oil from Utah’s Uinta Basin to oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.

A train running along tracks next to the Colorado River between Loma and the Utah state line. The Unita Railway would use these same tracks, which are right next to the river in Glenwood and Gore canyons and along the upper Colorado River.
Brent Gardner-Smith
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Aspen Public Radio
A train running along tracks next to the Colorado River between Loma and the Utah state line. The Uinta Basin Railway would use these same tracks, which are right next to the river in Glenwood and Gore canyons and along the upper Colorado River.

They’ve petitioned the Department of Transportation to reconsider funding the project, as well as the Department of Agriculture to revoke the railway’s approval, and the EPA to conduct a more thorough environmental analysis. They say the original analysis only considered the environmental impacts on Utah, not on Colorado.

Standing on the banks of the Colorado River in Glenwood Canyon, Bennet and Neguse emphasized the importance of the river to the 40 million people who rely on the river, and the disasters a derailment could cause.

This map shows the proposed route of the Uinta Basin Railway, which uses existing tracks.
Federal Railroad Administration
This map shows the proposed route of the Uinta Basin Railway, which uses existing tracks.

Those actions could put a pause on the railway moving forward—but Bennet said the train is too big a risk, even with added safety precautions.

“I think this train has no business bringing this oil from Utah through Colorado, period. Period!” he said. “I’d be surprised if you could persuade 99.2% of people that have any knowledge of this (canyon), that this would be a good idea with any restrictions in place.”

Bennet said if the railway were to go forward, it would be “a black mark on the president’s environmental record,” but both and Neguse were confident the administration will act to stop the project.

Neguse said it was thanks to Bennet’s persistence that Camp Hale was recognized as a national monument last year—and he and Bennet plan to keep pushing at this issue until they get results.

“We’re going to keep working at it, and we’re doing what we need to do at the agency level: making the case to every federal agency to take up this cause,” he said. “And of course, the advocacy will become more muscular over the coming months, as we continue to engage in the conversations we’ve been having.”

Bennet added that he believed there was plenty of opportunity for these federal agencies to intervene to stop the railway, both at the EPA and the Department of Agriculture.

Both Bennet and Neguse also thanked local leaders and community members for their ongoing opposition to the railway—something they said makes all the difference.

Bennet said he recognizes that Colorado is an energy producing state, but that fossil fuel production has remained steady under the Biden Administration.

“So the idea that we’d be treating that as somehow an excuse for wanting to put this beautiful river and this incredibly fragile valley in peril, I think is a real mistake,” he said. “And I think the administration will see it that way.”

Glenwood Springs Mayor Jonathan Godes introduced the two federal representatives, and spoke about how much of the tourism in the city relies on water—and how Glenwood Canyon has been impacted by climate change.

“Glenwood Springs has an economy that is based on tourism, and a lot of that tourism is based on water,” he said. “We are a community that has two rivers running through it, and the base of it is the Colorado River. The fly-fishing, the rafting, and not only that, this is the river for 40 million people in the American West.”

Elizabeth Velasco speaks at a podium on the banks of the Colorado
Caroline Llanes
/
Aspen Public Radio
State Rep. Elizabeth Velasco (D-Glenwood Springs) speaks, along with other local elected officials, on the harm she believes the Uinta Basin Railway could cause in the communities she represents.

Both Godes and State Representative Elizabeth Velasco (D-Glenwood Springs) spoke about how a potential derailment could shut down I-70—like mudslides did in 2021—and how detrimental that would be not just to the environment, but to local economies, all the way down to Aspen and Pitkin County.

“This would be catastrophic to have an incident here, not just because of the river, but also because we have the train tracks next to homes, next to businesses, next to communities,” Velasco said. “We really appreciate all of the support

Also there to support halting the railway were State Senator Dylan Roberts (D-Avon), Colorado House Speaker Julie McCluskie (D-Dillon), and Eagle County Commissioner Kathy Chandler-Henry.

Caroline Llanes is a general assignment reporter at Aspen Public Radio, covering everything from local governments to public lands. Her work has been featured on NPR. Previously, she was an associate producer for WBUR’s Morning Edition in Boston.
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