New Railroad by Colorado River Raises Concern Over Environment and Public Health
Do you support or oppose the newly proposed Uinta railroad?
What’s the story?
- A newly proposed Uinta oil railroad is to be built alongside the Colorado River in Utah, which many say will threaten the health of the surrounding environment and millions of Americans in the region.
- According to federal agencies, up to five two-mile-long oil trains would run on the 88-mile railway every day. If approved, the railway would quadruple crude oil production in the Uinta Basin. Federal agencies have alluded to their willingness to issue developing permits, ignoring the Biden administration’s climate goals.
What’s the threat?
- If the train cars were to derail, it would be catastrophic for the Colorado River, which provides drinking water to 40 million people, 30 tribal nations, and millions of acres of farmland.
- The railway could extract and transport 350,000 barrels of crude oil a day. Campaigners warn it would pose a grave threat to the river and the quality of air, which is already in a crisis due to the region’s mega-drought.
- Environmental and public health activists have been rallying in opposition to the proposed railway, especially since the derailment in East Palestine.
- Developers hope to receive billions of dollars of tax breaks for the new railroad through a program meant to help mainly fast-track rail and road projects with public benefits. As the railroad industry has spent around $280 million lobbying in Washington, activists fear that the Department of Transportation will approve the tax breaks, making it easier for developers to start the Uinta Basin Railway Project.
What they’re saying
- Managing attorney at Earthjustice, Kristen Boyles, said:
“If this goes forward it will be a triumph of corporate greed. The fact that we continue to have disasters like East Palestine and near misses over and over again is a regulatory failure that demonstrates the absolute power of railroad industry lobbying.”
- The railway company expressed its belief that environmentalists are overstating the risk of ecological harm and the possibility of derailment. According to the Federal Railroad Administration, an average of three derailments are reported daily in the U.S. Mehdi Ahmadian, professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, said the U.S.’s railroads are very safe. He continued:
“...we’re not hearing left and right about derailments in various places around the country, and the main reason for that is they are not really a major event.”
- While agreeing that railroads are safe, President and CEO of the American Association of Railroads, Ian Jefferies, highlighted the dangers:
“But even one incident can have a dramatic impact on a community, and as an industry that operates within communities throughout the country, we take that responsibility incredibly seriously.”
- Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg criticized the industry for their “vigorous resistance” to additional safety measures yet hasn’t signaled shooting down the proposed tax breaks. Sen. Michael Bennet and Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO) are urging Buttigieg to consider the risks of the tax breaks and any other federal financing mechanism to fund the railway project. They wrote:
“Our review of the Project found no plan to mitigate the harm of potential accident or derailment in Colorado, which could be particularly difficult to address given our state’s mountainous terrain.”
Stay up to date on the East Palestine derailment here.
What do you think of the newly proposed Colorado River railroad? Do you support or oppose the proposed Uitna project?
-Jamie Epstein
(Photo credit: iStock/mtcurado)
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The historic railroad tracks go through some very pristine natural parks and environmentally sensitive areas that they would not be allowed to traverse today.
To let railroad oil tankers ton tracks along the Colorado river is to risk hazardous containing action for water that supports the potable water needs of several Western States - states whose water supply has been at increasing risk over the last two decades as the Colaorado river's water has dwindled due to the extended drought.
Yes, there is a lot of water hitting downstream states at this time due to the rash of severe storms currently forming over the warming Pacific waters, but there is no guarantee that the drought conditions will not fully return in the near future.
Let the oil takers restore some of the abandoned tracks available and/or take a longer route that does not present a catsotrophic risk to the water that so many depend upon, and a route that does not further the damage already done to the natural beauty and grandeur of the Colorado River basin.
One term caught my attention-----"Company is expecting TAX BREAKS for installing the railroad'. I call----BOVINE FECES on this EXPECTATION. The problem lies with the fact that they will get what they want by way of campaign donations to which ever "party" they prefer. If they want the railroad that badly, they can foot the bill all on their own without any tax breaks. They will receive a profit and it should be taxed hard. They should also be held responsible for any and all damages as a result of this construction and the results coming from the end results without any assistance from our tax dollars. This railroad project does nothing more than transfer our tax dollars towards the greedy at the cost to the health and well being of the rest of us. Mankind living "down river" will experience the worst of any damages inflicted and will eventually hit the rest of us over time. Guess the greed of some people over rides the intelligence and common sense of our governing bodies.
I thought rail is clean and good.
I oppose this. There are thousands of miles of unused or abandoned rail tracks in this country; there is no need to build more and endanger wildlife or destroy the forests and environment.
I support railroad as a means of transportation, because it is usually cleaner and more efficient than automobiles. However, the railroad companies (other than Amtrak) are cleary very rich, not very good to their workers, and flouting safety rules. Let them spend their own money to find other ways to transport through Colorado without building new tracks.
Still think pipelines are safer and cleaner. I also wish all the, save the planet people, would be just as interested in the dead whales washing ashore in NY and N Jersey. With all the windmill farms off shore now it's suspected that it's disrupting the eco system. They make a humming noise that are confusing to marine life. Their concerned it will distroy the fishing industries that feed 30 million people. This is just as important as oil spills contaminating the ocean and chemically filled trains derailing. This is what bothers me about all these save the planet people. Their so hell bent on rushing to fix things they don't stop long enough to think things out. Like where we have to get the batteries for these electric cars and how to get rid of these batteries at the end of there life time. Or where we have to get the minerals we need. Or we still need electricity to run things. Or we still need oil to lubricate machinery to build things. Or why is it so bad to drill for oil here when we can do it better, cleaner and safer rather than buy dirty oil from our enemies which puts us in other predicaments. And it goes on and on. But instead, it's more if we don't agree with you then we want a dirty planet or we don't care. I care about, "how when people insist on fixing things their way and haven't considered what it might do to other things in the long run". So if you have to get around the mountains in Colorado and there's no other way of doing it, they better take every precaution and be vigilant of inspecting and updating parts and equipment. And maybe all these smart people building windmills in the ocean should have researched it a little longer. Before they began ruining our marine life now in other ways!
MORE SHIT FROM OUR XI JINPING BIDEN REGIME!! Keeping us down in their cesspool!
The Colorado River demonstrates clearly that in the arid southwest water is more valuable than oil. I’m not sure what a performance bond for 50,000,000 people would look like. But recent events in East Palestine, Ohio, suggest that the risk remains considerable and not getting safer any time soon.
Use older routes ,repair those tracks,
Regulations for saftey enforcement needed
Frequent saftey audits to ensure compliance.
Senators, Representatives:
Let's keep things very simple.
Oppose this railway.
Best.
The railroad companies have proven they are unwilling to take the necessary steps to protect people and the environment. Do not allow them to build this project.
I would support a Federal rail system, I do not support endangering our precious and limited waterways and water supplies!
A RAILROAD BUILT NEAR OR OVER THE COLORADO RIVER IS OUTRAGEOUS, AND TO DELIVER OIL A TOXIC COMMODITY!
ARE ALL OUR CIVIL ENGINEERS QUALIFIED OR EVEN RATIONAL?
PEOPLE PROTEST THIS TRAVESTY NOW!
Normally I'd support a new railroad, but we need to stop using so much oil. Save it all for the plastics out great-grandchildren will need in emergencies.
Oppose this and protect the environment
If the Norfolk Southern incidents haven't made it clear, trains WILL derail. This occurs in many cases due to companies giving short shrift to safety and personnel concerns, and due to companies putting profits over all else. Assurances by companies that an accident will not occur are laughable. If legislators believe these assurances, they are more stupid that we now imagine.
can we learn from past mistakes America?!?
or are we doomed to just repeat the same dissasters over and over?
ALONG the river? Railroads are inherently safe, recent accidents to the contrary, but this seems like overkill for something that will likely be in use only for 2 or 3 decades.
Why more oil? Renewable energy is growing and oil is declining yet you want to drill more and everywhere. Nature wins here.
My God haven't we destroyed ENOUGH of the planet, the wildlife, the air & water?
Do you support or oppose the newly proposed Uinta railroad? Just another example of complete and utter disregard for safety. Does anyone know what just happened to several areas in Ohio? Does this make one ounce of sense when you know you have zero safety measures in place? Toxic waste is strewn across miles of land where human beings live right now but you're willing to risk the same with a water supply? It just doesn't take a genius! How many leaks are there right now in the pipelines in North Dakota, in Alaska and so forth. Come on! You cannot protect the environment and ignore the recent railroad accidents! Stop doing this kind of stuff people.
This is a very bad idea.
Why do we really need a new railroad? We have many.