Submission Number: UBR-DEIS-00523 

Received: 2/1/2021 10:55:57 AM
Commenter: Jacob Lyman
Organization: 
State: Utah

Agency: STB
Initiative: Uinta Basin Railway EIS
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
I support the Uinta Basin Railway project for its ability to increase rail traffic in the state, remove oil trucks from the roads, and improve shipping into and out of the basin. The route will provide an alternate from the highway and open up more economic opportunity into the region. The removal of oil trucks from the road will affect everyone in the state, including those in Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front where many of the trucks currently terminate. Increased road congestion along the highways in the Wasatch Front is a growing issue, and with more and more of the rail crossing grades now separated in the valley, it means that trains that came off the Uinta to terminate in SLC would be less disruptive than the trucks. Increased train traffic leaving the Uinta Basin down eastbound through Helper too would increase local tourism via attracting the railfan crowd to the region which would be a boon for Helper's historic downtown and the Western Mining and Railroad Museum, as railfans will want to watch train traffic off the Uinta Basin then head down the canyon to visit Helper's historic areas for food and rest.