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{{short description|Proposed rail line}}
{{distinguish|Uintah Railway}}
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{{Infobox rail
|railroad_name = Uinta Basin Rail
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|map_caption = Map of the Whitmore Park alternative, the
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|locale = [[Uinta Basin|Uinta Basin, Utah]]
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|website = {{URL|http://uintabasinrailway.com/}}
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The '''Uinta Basin Rail''' project is a proposed {{convert|100|mi|km|adj=on}} rail line<ref name="trains"/> to connect the [[shale oil]] rich [[Uinta Basin]] region of eastern [[Utah]] to the [[national rail network]]. Numerous proposals have been made, some as far back as 1902, that are still under consideration. The current effort is a [[Public–private partnership|public-private partnership]] between a coalition of 7 counties in Utah, the [[Rio Grande Pacific Corporation]] and [[Drexel Hamilton]] Infrastructure Partners. The railroad is also backed by the [[Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation|Ute Tribe]] who hold a 5% stake in the project.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://railfan.com/tribe-backs-uinta-basin-railroad-construction/ |title=Tribe Backs Uinta Basin Railroad Construction |author=Railfan & Railroad staff|date=September 30, 2021 |website=railfan.com |publisher=White River Productions |access-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> If the rail line is built it will be the first major [[greenfield project|greenfield]] rail line built in the United States since the [[Chicago and North Western Transportation Company|Chicago and North Western]]’s line to the [[Powder River Basin]] was built in the
==Past efforts==
The Uinta basin's oil and mineral resources have long attracted the attention of railroad builders. The [[Denver and Salt Lake Railway|Denver, Northwestern and Pacific]] (
The only rail line connecting the basin to the rail network that was actually built was the [[Uintah Railway]]. However, while the line served the basin for a few years, this line was problematic from day one. The Uintah Railway had a [[break of gauge]], as this branch line was [[narrow gauge]] but connected to a [[standard gauge]] main at [[Mack, Colorado]]. The line featured a 7.5% grade with 65-degree curves, and was so steep that only articulated [[Shay locomotive]]s, specifically designed for this route, were capable of navigating a portion of the line. This resulted in a single cargo train having to be both re-gauged, and multiple locomotive changeovers to reach its destination.
[[File:Utah US-191 oil (-0065).jpg|thumb|left|Indian Canyon, showing [[U.S. Route 191 in Utah|US 191]] and an oil well. This canyon would
Even while the Uintah Railway was in operation, many companies attempted to build a standard gauge connection to the Uinta Basin. In 1915, the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] was reported to have dispatched surveying parties to find a route through the area.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eXMrAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA192 | title=Prospective Construction | journal=Excavating Contractor | volume=11 | year=1914–1915}}</ref> In early 1916, the [[Denver and Rio Grande Railroad]] filed a proposal for a line that would eventually extend into the basin,<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aB4-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA320 | title=New Roads and Projects | journal=Railway Review | year=1916 | volume=58}}</ref> and in May the [[Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad]] began surveys for a route into the area branching from its line in Provo.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aB4-AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA734 | title=New Roads and Projects | journal=Railway Review | year=1916 | volume=58}}</ref> In 1920, [[Simon Bamberger]] attempted to find financing to build the remainder of the unfinished D&SL route.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0E_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA279 | title=Railway Construction | journal=Railway Age and Railway Review | year=1920 | volume=68 | pages=279}}</ref><ref name=sldstrack>{{cite web |url=https://utahrails.net/utahrails/salt-lake-denver.php| url-status=live | archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20211114/https://utahrails.net/utahrails/salt-lake-denver.php| archive-date=2021-11-14 |last=Strack |first=Don |title=Salt Lake and Denver Railroad |publisher=Utahrails.net |date=May 30, 2019 |
In 1984, the [[Deseret Power Railway]] was built to connect a coal mine in Colorado with a power plant in Utah. The route is similar to a small portion of the unfinished D&SL route
▲===Utah Department of Transportation===
[[File:Uintabasinrail-whitmorepark-indiancanyongrade.png|thumb|Map of the Whitmore Park alternative to route the rail line underneath the [[Roan Cliffs]] and West Tavaputs Plateau. Also visible is the existing route of [[U.S. Route 191 (Utah)|U.S. Route 191]].]]
In 2012, the [[Utah Department of Transportation]] (UDOT), working with the regional Six-County Infrastructure Coalition, began studying transportation in the basin, which is a major oil-producing region.<ref name="trains"/>
In late 2014, after selecting the routing, the state began studying the cost, estimated to be up to $4 billion.<ref name="kuer">{{cite web | url=http://kuer.org/post/rail-line-would-deliver-uinta-basin-energy-markets | title=Rail Line Would Deliver Uinta Basin Energy to Markets | publisher=KUER.org | date=14 July 2014 |
Though the EIS was cancelled, UDOT's report was published in 2015 recommending the line as a top priority for Utah's rail infrastructure, noting the strain the lack of rail access is placing on highways that serve the basin, and the price disadvantage caused by lack of rail access compared to other oil-producing regions with rail. Most of the oil is trucked to refineries in Salt Lake City.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Marsh |first=Amy Hadden |date=December 14, 2022 |title=Uinta Basin Railway opposition unites Colorado towns, Utah backcountry residents |url=https://www.postindependent.com/news/uinta-basin-railway-opposition-unites-colorado-towns-utah-backcountry-residents/ |access-date=2022-12-15 |website=Post Independent |language=en-US}}</ref> The study identified multiple possible rail corridors, stating before selecting the Indian Canyon alternative, they originally considered a route via [[Rifle, Colorado]], but noted this route is mostly in Colorado, not Utah. The state of Colorado was not assisting in the studies or providing funding.<ref name=UDOT/>
[[File:Indian Creek Pass Utah February.jpg|thumb|left|Indian Creek Pass along [[U.S. Route 191 in Utah]], the
In 2019, the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition (successor agency to the Six County Infrastructure Coalition) partnered with [[Rio Grande Pacific Corporation]], a [[shortline railroad]] holding company, and identified 29 potential rail corridors, using the earlier UDOT study as a base.<ref>{{cite web |title=Uintah Basin Railroad| publisher=Seven County Infrastructure Coalition |
The coalition initially submitted four routes to the [[Surface Transportation Board]] (STB) for detailed study and an Environmental Impact Statement. Three of these
[[File:Whitmore Park Cabin.jpg|thumb|A cabin in the Whitmore Park area just below the [[Roan Cliffs]]. This is the approximate location where the
[[File:Helper UT retired power plant (-0098).jpg|thumb|The retired [[Carbon Power Plant]] at the junction of [[U.S. Route 191|US 191]] and [[U.S. Route 6 in Utah|US 6]] inside the [[Price River]] Canyon. Also visible is the [[Central Corridor (Union Pacific Railroad)|Central Corridor]]. The Uinta Basin Rail line would connect to the main a few miles west of this point.]]
The Surface Transportation Board issued their approval in December 2021. Environmentalist activists are organizing efforts to block construction, citing the pristine nature of the mountains where construction will take place and concerns cost overruns are likely given the difficult terrain.<ref name=motherjones>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2022/05/an-oil-train-is-set-to-destroy-pristine-utah-mountains-why-wont-biden-stop-it/ |magazine=Mother Jones |issue=May 2022 |title=An Oil Train Is Set to Destroy Pristine Utah Mountains. Why Won't Biden Stop It?}}</ref> In 2022 construction contracts for the railroad's construction particularly for the tunnels along the route were announced with [[AECOM]], a joint venture with [[Skanska]] & [[W.W. Clyde Company]], and [[Obayashi Corporation]] as principal partners.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220513005554/en/Rio-Grande-Pacific-Corporation-Announces-Engineering-and-Construction-Teams-for-Uinta-Basin-Railway-Project |title=Rio Grande Pacific Corporation Announces Engineering and Construction Teams for Uinta Basin Railway Project |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=May 13, 2022 |work=Business Wire |access-date=May 13, 2022}}</ref> The [[US Forest Service]] granted right-of-way through {{convert|12 |miles}} of [[Ashley National Forest]] and upheld the decision when challenged by several environmental groups.<ref>{{Cite news |date=July 8, 2022 |title=Forest Service upholds decision on Uinta Basin Railway |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/forest-service-upholds-decision-on-uinta-basin-railway/ |access-date=2022-07-10 |work=Trains |language=en-US}}</ref> A $28 million grant by the Utah Community Impact Fund Board was also upheld in July 2022 after being challenged.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Maffly |first=Brian |date=July 16, 2022 |title=Uinta Basin Railway on track after Utah judge approves state grants for railroad funding |url=https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/2022/07/16/uinta-basin-railway-track-after/ |access-date=2022-07-17 |website=The Salt Lake Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> This line could create spillover pressure to reopen the [[Tennessee Pass Line]] to avoid a surge in oil trains through the [[Moffat Tunnel]] and down into [[Denver]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=David O. |date=2023-05-05 |title=Billionaire Colorado landowner no longer pursuing Tennessee Pass rail line |url=https://coloradonewsline.com/2023/05/04/colorado-tennessee-pass-rail-line/ |access-date=2023-05-06 |work=Colorado Newsline |language=en-US}}</ref> On August 18, 2023, a Federal Appeals Court halted the project pending "''a more fulsome explanation'' for the Board’s conclusion that the Railway’s transportation benefits outweighed the project’s environmental impacts".<ref name="TDP 2023-08-28">{{cite news|last=Schmelzer |first=Elise |date=August 18, 2023 |title=Proposed railway that would bring millions of gallons of crude oil through Colorado halted by federal judge |url=https://www.denverpost.com/2023/08/18/uinta-basin-railway-utah-colorado-project-halted/ |work=[[The Denver Post]] |location=[[Denver, Colorado]] |accessdate=August 19, 2023 }}</ref> since the Forest Service decision relied on the Surface Transportation Board’s environmental review, the Service withdrew its record of decision and amendment in February 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gutierrez |first=Emily |date=2024-02-20 |title=Forest Service pulls Uinta Basin Railway's special use permit, halting approval of project trying to ship waxy crude oil along Colorado River |url=https://www.skyhinews.com/news/forest-service-pulls-uinta-basin-railways-special-use-permit-halting-approval-of-project-trying-to-ship-waxy-crude-oil-along-colorado-river/ |access-date=2024-02-21 |website=Sky-Hi News |language=en-US}}</ref> In August 2023, a Federal Appeals Court halted the project pending "''a more fulsome explanation'' for the Board’s conclusion that the Railway’s transportation benefits outweighed the project’s environmental impacts".{{r|TDP 2023-08-28}}<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2023-12-05 | first1=Marybeth |last1=Luczak |title=Report: Court Will Not Rehear Uinta Basin Railway Case |url=https://www.railwayage.com/regulatory/report-court-will-not-rehear-uinta-basin-railway-case/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |magazine=Railway Age |language=en-US}}</ref> In March 2024 the project backers petitioned the [[Supreme Court of the United States|US Supreme Court]] to decide if "...National Environmental Policy Act requires an agency to study environmental impacts beyond the proximate effects of the action over which the agency has regulatory authority". On June 24 the Court agreed to review the Appeals court ruling.<ref name=SCOTUStrains>{{cite news |title=Supreme Court to review decision blocking Uinta Basin project |url=https://www.trains.com/trn/news-reviews/news-wire/supreme-court-to-review-decision-blocking-uinta-basin-project/ |access-date=25 June 2024 |work=Trains.com |publisher=Kalmbach Media |date=25 June 2024 |location=Waukesha, Wisconsin}}</ref>
==References==
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