Letter: Uinta Basin Railway is a horrible idea
FILE - This Oct. 9, 2018, file photo shows an oil rig and pump jack in Midland, Texas. The Environmental Integrity Project noted in a report released Thursday, May 9, 2019, that the Permian Basin, which include some West Texas cities, such as Midland, is one of the most productive hydrocarbon regions in the world. But the report says a consequence of that production is dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide escaping into the air around Odessa and other locations. (Jacob Ford/Odessa American via AP, File)
No matter what path it might take, a Uinta Basin Railway is a horrible idea.
The railway would quadruple oil production in the Uinta Basin, where people are already choking on dangerously dirty air thanks to fossil fuel extraction.
It would subsidize more fossil-fuel development at a time when reversing global warming is more pressing than ever.
It would send hundreds of toxic trains every day through Utah and Colorado communities that would see little to no benefit.
It’s already consuming Community Impact Board funds that should be going toward fire stations, road repairs and other services that benefit Utah residents.
And the railway would be a multi-billion-dollar boondoggle.
When will Utah start investing in the future instead of continuing to sink money into the fossil-fuel energies of the past?
Ryan Beam, Salt Lake City
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