Submission Number: UBR-DEIS-00451-0208 

Received: 1/27/2021 12:00:00 AM
Commenter: Dan Dugan
Organization: 
State: Utah

Agency: STB
Initiative: Uinta Basin Railway EIS
Attachments: No Attachments
Submission Text
I urge you to re-evaluate the decision on the proposed Uinta Basin Railway. The proposed railway would do little to nothing to improve the quality of life of the 7 county residents while doing irreparable harm to their land and wildlife and the very place they call home. -- Think about the price of oil and coal on the future market compared to the cost to extract and transport from the Uinta Basin. -- Think about the current inventory and production of oil and coal. The US is saturated with excess supply. -- Think about future demands. Demand for oil and coal is on a downward trend. -- Think about the total cost of this project for the 100 jobs. The State of Utah is paying out a lot of money for these 100 jobs. The State could better spend its money by paying for the re-training of the individuals and infusing sustainable money into the 7 counties. -- Think in this term -- if you personally had enough money to fund this project, would you risk/spend the money to do it? In addition to a poor business decision, the damage to the backyard of these 100 families and 7 counties is irreversible. The railway will degrade more than 10,000 acres of habitat for migratory wildlife, ruin more than 400 streams and important wetlands along the Price River - harming the semi-arid state's precious perennial waterways. In Colorado, the project could mean reopening a rail line through scenic Tennessee Pass, despoiling scenic lands and wildlife habitat to get oil trains to the Gulf Coast. Mile-long oil trains could rip through sensitive areas like Browns Canyon, a rugged 22,000-acre national monument. Finally the Uinta Basin Railway would harm people who live and recreate in both states. Landowners in Utah's Argyle Canyon and nearby off-grid canyon communities fear the disruptive noise, traffic delays, and clouds of diesel smoke oil trains will bring along the proposed routes - not to mention the significant potential for accidents, derailments, spills and even sparks that could ignite disastrous wildfires. And people in Colorado won't escape the air pollution drifting downwind from Uinta Basin, even as the railway rips through a national monument and other scenic areas supporting outdoor tourism many locals rely on for their livelihood. This project, besides a poor business decision, is an unacceptable threat to the health, safety and well-being of local residents and their backyard wildlife. Please make the correct decision and choose the no-action alternative.