Submission Number: UBR-DEIS-00184 

Received: 12/8/2020 10:07:58 PM
Commenter: Shelby St Thayne
Organization: 
State: 

Agency: STB
Initiative: Uinta Basin Railway EIS
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
While any type of infrastructure undoubtedly will have an impact on the environment, it is apparent that this railroad will have a positive outcome for the people of the Uintah Basin. The rest of the nation has been privileged with all kinds of types of infrastructure and they benefited from not having to ever worry about an environmental impact statement. The Uintah Basin has not been benefited by this type of massive infrastructure project. There are many reasons as to why. Part of it is our bumpy relationship with the Ute Indian Tribe. This however doesn't need to be one of those bumps. This railway will undoubtedly benefit this minority and the majority. This is a no brainer. Now you're going to hear from the vacation home owners. While their concerns must be heard, their skin in the game must also be measured. They have been individuals who for one or a dozen strokes of fortune their were able to purchase pristine Basin property. They have broken up old homesteads, and riddled holes in our local agricultural industry by creating cheapened ranchettes. And now you are going to hear claims from them that it will adversely affect the environment. I imagine that it wouldn't have much more of an affect than their summer staycation cabins had, especially when considering the effect of all of the cabins that have been constructed. Really the only problem that the cabin owners have with a railroad is that it won't be pretty too look at and hear. They are only here when it is convenient not when the local economy has crashed. Their dollars don't support or help or counties all that much, most of their food comes from Costco not Stewart's. Sad, really. A group of people that will try to accuse an industry of stability that they will disrupt the environment awfully. What a convenient rebuttal. If we weigh and measure the environmental effect that it will actually have, with the economic stability that will be brought the Uintah Basin we see it outweighs any disruption of sight, and annoying noise that could possibly be emitted to a summer home owner. The other consideration, is you have an opportunity to help dissuade the death of rural America. There is an ever increasing trend of movement away from rural areas and into sub urban abd urban areas. We in the basin are not immune. We need stability amd because of our boom bust economy, we need options other than the oilfield that a railway can answer.