Submission Number: UBR-DEIS-00293 -- Oral Comment at Public Meeting 

Received: 11/18/2020 12:00:00 PM
Commenter: Raphael Cordray
Organization: 
State: 

Agency: STB
Initiative: Uinta Basin Railway EIS
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
Hi, my name is Raphael Cordray.· I would like to make a comment about the railroad. · · · · · · I feel that it needs to be reiterated that the Seven County Coalition is being deceptive about this railroad and the true purpose for the railroad because they are saying confusing things to the public. · · · · · ·

Yesterday, in a hearing before the Utah State Legislative Public Utilities Committee, Mike McKee stated that this railroad could be used for any types of commodities, and Mark Hemphill, they keep saying that any commodities can use this railroad.· · · · · ·

But, in fact, like, you cannot show up at the oil transloading place with your bails of alfalfa and expect to put it on the railroad.· So every single type of thing that gets on this railroad has to have a specially designed location where it would access the railroad and enter and use the railroad.· And people aren't going to be able to use the railroad, the public is not going to have access to participate in using this railroad. · · · · · ·

The people -- the expensive transloading facility that would need to be built, if it is going to be coal or oil and fracking materials to go on the train, will have to -- will be very expensive.· And only those who can, you know, build the access point for that will get to use this railroad. I also read in one of the comments from the commissioner that they want to put natural gas on the railroad.· Liquified natural gas is very dangerous and isn't allowed on regular railroads.· The public doesn't know these things.· · · · · ·

They are saying -- in one meeting, they say they are going to reduce the truck trips off of -- in Utah by building this railroad, and in another meeting, they testified to a judge saying that it will not affect the truck trips. · · · · · ·

And so I just -- I'm really concerned about the Seven County Coalition and the duplicative answers that they give to the public and the commission for the legislature and in court hearings.· And I think that the STB should not approve this railroad because the information is inaccurate that they are providing.· Thank you.

[pause]

Hi, my name is Raphael Cordray.· I would like to correct the previous caller. · · · · · ·

I stated that liquid natural gas is not allowed on a normal train, and let me just be more specific.· Under current federal law, it is considered too dangerous to carry liquid natural gas in tank cars. · · · · · ·

Liquified natural gas can only be transported by ships, truck, and with special approval by the Federal Railroad Administration.· It can be transported by rail in approved United Nations portable tanks. · · · · · 

So to state that we are going to be able to put liquid natural gas on the Uinta Basin Railway is incorrect.· It is considered a bomb train.· Liquified natural gas from just one rail tank's car, without even considering a whole train, could be enough to destroy a city. · · · · · ·

It would only take 22 tank cars to hold the equivalent energy of the Hiroshima bomb.· A train of 110 tank cars filled with liquified natural gas would have five times the energy of the Hiroshima bomb. · · · · · ·

There is -- if it was allowed to transport liquid natural gas on the Uinta Basin Railway, this would be a whole different level of special tank cars and loading docks that would have to be built and paid for, and would -- and there would have to be a special approval to even transport liquified natural gas on the railroad. · · · · · · So that needs to be clarified in the record. Thank you.