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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 to Colorado. The case could change 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 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, 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 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 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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This is a science emergency... We all need to be worried.”
