The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments next week about a proposed oil transport railway that would connect Utah’s Uinta Basin

Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Supreme Court will consider Utah’s oil train next week
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Friday, December 6, 2024
A train travels along the Colorado River in western Colorado. The Library of Congress, Carol M. Highsmith Archive ([link removed])

The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments ([link removed]) next week about a proposed oil transport railway that would connect Utah’s Uinta Basin to Colorado. The case could change ([link removed]) how the federal government conducts environmental reviews.

The Uinta Basin Railway would transport crude oil from northeastern Utah into Colorado, extending existing rail lines by 88 miles. If the railway were to move forward, it would more than double ([link removed]) the total amount of oil transported in the U.S. and increase hazardous material transport through sensitive areas, including along the Colorado River in western Colorado.

A potential derailment would have severe environmental and public health consequences. “It could happen numerous times, in numerous different ways and we, just as a community, cannot handle that,” said Jonathan Godes ([link removed]) , Glenwood Springs City Council member. “It would destroy our economy and destroy our drinking water, and it would be harmful to the communities downstream that also rely on the Colorado River.”

A previous U.S. Court of Appeals D.C. Circuit ruling ([link removed]) found that the initial environmental review was incomplete and failed to consider risks like the threat of wildfire or water pollution. Next week, Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, the group behind the railway proposal, will argue to the Supreme Court ([link removed]) that those risks are beyond the scope of federal environmental reviews.

Oral arguments in the case are set for December 10.


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** Quote of the day
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” This is a science emergency... We all need to be worried.”

—Jennifer Jones, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, The Hill ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@yosemitenps ([link removed])
The sun is shining, the waterfalls are flowing, the mountains have snow. THE MOUNTAINS HAVE SNOW!

Winter precipitation in Yosemite means that the seasonal waterfalls visible from the Valley floor slowly come back to life! The most recent winter weather event has left the higher elevations areas of the park dusted with snow. While preparing to visit Yosemite, keep up to date with the weather forecast and take a look at the webcams to see if more snow has fallen, or melted.

Webcams courtesy of Yosemite Conservancy.

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