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Letter: Uinta Basin railway is bad idea

(Brian Maffly | Tribune file photo) Since 2014, the Price River Terminal in Wellington has been trans-loading oil from trucks to rail cars, opening a new path for Uinta Basin crude to reach out-of-state markets. It shipped about 7,500 barrels a day to Houston-area refiners in 2018.

I recently became aware of plans to build a railroad in Eastern Utah (the Uinta Basin Railway Project) to transport materials to provide energy.

The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition (SCIS) and the Permanent Community Impact Board (CIB) are pursuing the most expensive option for building the railway rather than opting for the least expensive route, along Route 40 to Craig, Colo. They say they have found a way to drill through mountains more cheaply than initially estimated, though that is highly questionable.

Mike McKee, the former Utah County commissioner who heads the coalition, reports the currently proposed alternate routes have the “least environmental impact.”

The areas they are pursuing are Indian Canyon and Wells Draw, through rugged terrain. I previously owned land abutting the Ashley National Forest that overlooked Argyle Canyon. Argyle Canyon would be impacted by the Wells Draw route. I also was able to look down Indian Canyon, which ran steeply from Duchesne to the top of the mountain where I had my property at 9,200 feet.

It strikes me that this railroad will go through the steepest country imaginable, damaging forests, waterways, dry desert and, subsequently, impacting wildlife. Over the years I have personally seen many elk, deer, bear, coyote, hawks and a resident owl.

The SCIC did not provide matching funds for the $6.5 million of the $27 million granted by the CIB. It appears the people of Utah will again be responsible for the price of pollution caused by more drilling in the already compromised Uinta Basin.

Additionally, with an estimated million species to be soon lost to our planet, Utah is again prioritizing development over preservation of the species, including humans.

Jan Ellen Burton, Salt Lake City

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