The U.S. Forest Service has withdrawn a special use authorization for the Uinta Basin Railway.
The railway would have used existing tracks that run alongside 100 miles of the Colorado River, including through Glenwood Canyon and the upper Colorado east of Dotsero, to transport waxy crude oil from Utah’s Uinta Basin to oil refineries in the Gulf of Mexico.
Twelve miles of the railway would have passed through the Ashley National Forest in Utah. In 2022, the Forest granted a special use permit, based on an environmental impact statement as required by the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
But in August, a federal court overturned the Surface Transportation Board’s approval for the railway, saying the environmental impact statement was “significantly deficient,” and committed multiple NEPA violations.
In his August decision, the judge also wrote that the environmental impact statement did not appropriately consider the risks of increased oil train traffic, especially in places like Glenwood Canyon. That includes the risk of a derailment, wildfires associated with “highly flammable cargo,” and threats to wildlife that depend on the river.
Last month, the court declined to hear an appeal to the case.
The Ashley National Forest Supervisor, Susan Eickhoff, wrote that because its issuance of the permit was based on the vacated statement, it will be withdrawing its approval.
Colorado’s U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Representative Joe Neguse, both Democrats, called the decision a victory for the Colorado River and the communities that rely on it in a statement on Wednesday.
“A derailment along the headwaters of the Colorado River could have catastrophic effects for Colorado’s communities, water, and environment. I’m glad the Forest Service has taken this important step to protect the Colorado River and the tens of millions of people who depend on it,” Bennet wrote.
Neguse agreed, saying the Ashley National Forest’s decision was “one step closer to avoiding the dangers that accompany this project and helping us to preserve our state’s water supplies, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation assets, and the broader River Basin.”
In a statement, Glenwood Springs Mayor Ingrid Wussow thanked Bennet and Neguse for their work to get the railway’s approval revoked.
“Through the concerted efforts of our local community members, elected officials and congressional delegates the City of Glenwood is incredibly relieved to know that the Uinta Project will not be allowed to move forward and that our invaluable Colorado River will be protected,” Wussow wrote. “This project had the potential of creating an environmental disaster that would have impacted the water source for over 40 million Americans, as well as damaging our agricultural community, recreational commerce and the natural wildlife we so value.”
The pair of lawmakers have been some of the project’s biggest critics, and have called on theEnvironmental Protection Agency, theDepartment of Agriculture, and theDepartment of Transportation to take steps to slow the project.
