Current:Home > ContactForest Service pulls right-of-way permit that would have allowed construction of Utah oil railroad -WealthMap Solutions
Forest Service pulls right-of-way permit that would have allowed construction of Utah oil railroad
View
Date:2025-04-19 05:24:28
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The U.S. Forest Service on Wednesday withdrew its approval of a right-of-way permit that would have allowed the construction of a railroad project through about 12 miles (19 kilometers) of roadless, protected forest in northeastern Utah.
The decision affecting the Ashley National Forest follows a U.S. appeals court ruling in August that struck down a critical approval involving the Uinta Basin Railway, a proposed 88-mile (142-kilometer) railroad line that would connect oil and gas producers in rural Utah to the broader rail network. It would allow them to access larger markets and ultimately sell to refineries near the Gulf of Mexico.
“It’s a victory for the Colorado River and nearby communities that would be threatened by oil train accidents and spills, and for residents of the Gulf Coast, where billions of gallons of oil would be refined,” said Ted Zukoski, an attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, one of several groups that has sued over the project.
He vowed to fight any attempt to build the railroad. An attempt to reach the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, which is spearheading the project, was unsuccessful Wednesday evening.
In the August ruling, the Washington, D.C.-based appeals court decided that a 2021 environmental impact statement and opinion from the federal Surface Transportation Board were rushed and violated federal laws. It sided with environmental groups and Colorado’s Eagle County, which had sued to challenge the approval.
The court said the board had engaged in only a “paltry discussion” of the environmental impact the project could have on the communities and species who would live along the line — as well as the “downline” communities who live along railroads where oil trains would travel.
“The limited weighing of the other environmental policies the board did undertake fails to demonstrate any serious grappling with the significant potential for environmental harm stemming from the project,” the ruling stated.
The Forest Service’s decision Wednesday to withdraw its approval was based on the appeals court ruling, but Ashley National Forest Supervisor Susan Eickhoff said the agency could issue a new decision if deficiencies in the environmental impact statement are addressed.
If approved, the railroad would let producers, currently limited to tanker trucks, ship an additional 350,000 barrels of crude oil daily on trains extending for up to 2 miles (3.2 kilometers).
veryGood! (13638)
Related
- The Daily Money: Spending more on holiday travel?
- A century of fire suppression is worsening wildfires and hurting forests
- Inside Clean Energy: Here’s How Covid-19 Is Affecting The Biggest Source of Clean Energy Jobs
- Study: Commuting has an upside and remote workers may be missing out
- What do we know about the mysterious drones reported flying over New Jersey?
- California Has Begun Managing Groundwater Under a New Law. Experts Aren’t Sure It’s Working
- Alabama Public Service Commission Upholds and Increases ‘Sun Tax’ on Solar Power Users
- Andy Cohen Has the Best Response to Real Housewives of Ozempic Joke
- Jamie Foxx gets stitches after a glass is thrown at him during dinner in Beverly Hills
- A California Water Board Assures the Public that Oil Wastewater Is Safe for Irrigation, But Experts Say the Evidence Is Scant
Ranking
- Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
- A Disillusioned ExxonMobil Engineer Quits to Take Action on Climate Change and Stop ‘Making the World Worse’
- Shoppers Are Ditching Foundation for a Tarte BB Cream: Don’t Miss This 55% Off Deal
- Southern Charm's Taylor Ann Green Honors Late Brother Worth After His Death
- Why we love Bear Pond Books, a ski town bookstore with a French bulldog 'Staff Pup'
- RHOP Alum Monique Samuels Files for Divorce From Husband Chris Samuels
- As the Livestock Industry Touts Manure-to-Energy Projects, Environmentalists Cry ‘Greenwashing’
- Defense bill's passage threatened by abortion amendment, limits on Ukraine funding
Recommendation
What were Tom Selleck's juicy final 'Blue Bloods' words in Reagan family
John Goodman Reveals 200 Pound Weight Loss Transformation
Beyoncé's Renaissance tour is Ticketmaster's next big test. Fans are already stressed
Baby boy dies in Florida after teen mother puts fentanyl in baby bottle, sheriff says
Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
Amazon Prime Day 2023: Everything You Need to Know to Get the Best Deals
We're Drunk in Love With Beyoncé and Jay-Z's Rare Date Night in Paris
One journalist was killed for his work. Another finished what he started