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The first stage of construction on a railway meant to carry oil from from Utah's Uinta Basin through western Colorado is already underway. But state and local politicians in Colorado say they are not giving up their fight against the Uinta Basin Railway.
Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse held a press conference on the bank of the Colorado River near Glenwood Springs earlier this month in order to raise concerns about the Uinta Basin railway in the wake of the Ohio train derailment disaster.
The two lawmakers have asked the U.S. Forest Service, the Environmental Protection Agency, and two other federal agencies to cancel the railroad's permits. They say the project poses a risk to both the Colorado River, which the railroad will run alongside, as well as communities in western Colorado. And there's more to come, according to Bennet and Neguse.
“The advocacy will grow more muscular in coming months,” Neguse said.
Meanwhile, the Utah government group behind the project is planning to ramp up its messaging efforts as well. The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, which is orchestrating a public-private partnership to build the estimated $3 billion railway, voted to spend $1,000 a month on a communications campaign to promote the railroad.
Utah pushes monuments lawsuit
Utah officials are asking a federal court to hear their challenge to Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, asserting that the monuments are causing it to lose revenue from mineral leasing and grazing fees.
Utah, as well as Kane and Garfield counties, filed a lawsuit in August alleging President Joe Biden exceeded his authority under the Antiquities Act when he restored more than two million acres to the monuments that had been removed by the Trump administration.
In the filing, Utah argues that the two monuments, which together constitute 3.23 million acres of land, should actually be no larger than 6,480 acres.
CWP at SEJ
The Center for Western Priorities is excited to be attending the Society of Environmental Journalists conference in Boise, Idaho this week. If you are at the conference and would like to meet up, please get in touch. Look West will be back in your inbox on Monday.
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People of color have always been involved in nature... It can be going outside and walking the dog. For a lot of people of color, it’s going outside and barbecuing. If you look at it as chasing adrenaline, you’re missing a lot.”
