On July 15, 2022, the USDA Forest Service signed a Record of Decision (ROD), approving Uinta Basin Railway’s railroad right-of-way permit to construct a new rail line. This will drastically increase the amount of crude oil hauled through Colorado.

Though Uinta Basin Railway says it plans to move goods safely and cost-effectively to enable economic stability, sustainable communities, and enrich the quality of life, the concerns of environmental groups and Colorado communities along the hauling route have been dismissed, some claims state.

The Environmental Protection Agency defines crude oil as a waxy mixture of 20-40 hydrocarbons in the liquid phase in natural underground reservoirs. This waxy oil remains liquid at high atmospheric pressure after passing through surface-separating facilities but can quickly solidify in low temperatures.

Crude oil’s color generally appears black and yellow and has a higher paraffinic content than other oils. Paraffin, a combustible hydrocarbon, is a colorless solid derived from petroleum, coal, or oil. This substance is commonly used as a fuel for jet engines and rockets or a gas component for diesel and tractor engines.

As a fossil fuel, crude oil’s combustion ability contributes to polluting emissions like carbon dioxide, one of the most dangerous greenhouse gasses. It can also contaminate many or all of our natural resources.

According to some scientific studies, breathing crude oil fumes can cause chemical pneumonia, irritation of the nose, throat, and lungs, as well as headaches, dizziness, drowsiness, loss of coordination, fatigue, and nausea. Chronic exposure can result in irregular heartbeats, convulsions, and even coma.

By constructing a new rail line and connecting to the national railway network, the Uinta Basin Railway in eastern Utah wants to provide new infrastructure, addressing the freight transportation challenges in the region, bulldozing parts of the Ashley National Forest in the process.

Its new proposed project of an 85-mile rail line will allow drilling operations, creating additional crude oil, to expand and ship new and existing waxy crude to refineries in Texas and Louisiana.

The route to haul the crude oil will run through Colorado, alongside Interstate 70 and the Colorado River, including Glenwood Canyon, Moffat Tunnel, and Central Denver. Ten trains, two miles long, are expected to travel daily. Due to the Rocky Mountains’ cold conditions, train tanks filled with crude oil will need to be heated.

In the last decade, there have been more than 20 oil train derailments, resulting in spills and fires contributing to the National Security Council’s reported 893 railroad deaths in the last couple of years and catastrophic effects on water sources, adding to the many concerns.

Communities’ concerns also include the numerous sections of mountains that will be blasted, the rerouting of 443 streams, destroying endangered sage grouse habitats, and the appropriation of private property.

To address potential environmental damage, the Uinta Basin Railway is offering local refineries a discount on purchasing its crude oil, in hopes of reducing transport distribution. Another option the railway is considering is hiring local refineries to break down the large waxy oil molecules into smaller ones, allowing them to be transported via pipelines.

From the perspectives of some of Utah’s government officials, Native tribes, energy producers, and rail companies, the new rail line is a victory, allowing improved access to the outside world, inevitably, helping the basin diversify its economy.

Several lawsuits against Uinta Basin have been filed and dismissed, including one over the unlawful use of funding. Another argument is over the oil fields that will connect with the national rail network.

A federal agency used a “fatally flawed” environmental analysis that is the argument of 10 Colorado communities along railroad tracks, hoping to join Eagle County and environmental groups appealing the board’s approval of the Uinta Basin Railway in the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C.

The project, however, has received funding approval from Utah courts, leading to speculations that the project will begin sometime in early 2023. It may be noteworthy that during the early decades of the 20th century, the Colorado Railroad served Uinta Basin via the Uinta Railway, hauling a solidified form of petroleum known as Gilsonite.

Will past relationships between railways influence decisions? Will an alternate mode of transporting crude oil ease concerns or create new ones? When and how will the Utah and Colorado communities’ concerns be addressed? Is the Endangered Species Act being considered? Regardless of the answers or outcomes, it’ll be impossible to make everyone happy. That’s one of many risks associated with progress.

Sources:

http://uintabasinrailwayeis.com/

https://uintabasinrailway.com/

https://coloradosun.com/2022/10/28/colorado-appeal-uinta-basin-railway/

https://uintabasinrailway.com/routes/

https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/uinta-basin-railway-projectutah usa/

https://www.sltrib.com/news/environment/ 2022/07/16/uinta-basin-railway track-after/