Submission Number: UBR-DEIS-00140 

Received: 12/6/2020 6:12:02 PM
Commenter: Mary Moran
Organization: 
State: Utah

Agency: STB
Initiative: Uinta Basin Railway EIS
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
The proposed railway’s purpose is to transport Uinta Basin oil and gas to distant markets, and thus increase oil and gas production in the basin. There are two fundamental problems with those goals. 1) Oil and gas production needs to taper off and stop, soon, not increase, in order to reverse the current climate change effects. These effects include exponential growth of hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires, and whatever else is next in store for us. 2) Air quality in the Uinta Basin is some of the worst in the nation. Increasing oil and gas production in the basin will increase respiratory heath issues, and farther decrease quality of life for residents of the basin and beyond. Further, the route of the railroad will impact hydrology of Indian Canyon Creek, if this preferred route is chosen. Even if another potential route is chosen, the proposed connection point to the existing railroad is adjacent to wetlands near Price. It seems very unwise to propose any further impacts to our natural hydrologic systems in view of our current likely preview of our climate future. The Colorado River is currently running at lower than the tenth percentile for this early December date; the Green River is only slightly higher. Rainfall has been almost non-existent since March 2020, except for a couple of downpours. This may be our new normal. We need our intact and rare wetlands and streams. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.