A request for a rehearing concerning the Uinta Basin Railway was officially denied this month. The 7 County Infrastructure Coalition had requested a rehearing in the U.S. Court of Appeals before all judges rather than a three-judge panel of an August ruling. The Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Uinta Basin Railway was issued in 2021 and environmental lawsuits soon followed. In August, a federal appeals court decision partially struck down that 2021 approval leaving the Uinta Basin Railway team to consider their legal options. The request for the entire DC Circuit Court to rule, which has now been denied, was just one of those options. At the time of the August decision, the team issued a statement sharing that they remain “committed to the successful planning, construction, and operation of the railway” and that they are “ready, willing, and capable of working with the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to ensure additional reviews and the project’s next steps proceed without further delay.” The Uinta Basin Railway project has spent years working to provide a solution to transportation issues in the Uintah Basin through the construction of a railroad that would connect the Basin to the national railway network. Among the team’s legal options is to elevate the issue to the Supreme Court. Duchesne County Commissioner Greg Miles, who serves as the Co-Chair of the 7 County Infrastructure Coalition Board, responded to a request from Evans Family Media concerning the Court’s December 4th decision. “We are still digesting the decision and planning for our next step forward,” shared Miles. The 7 County Infrastructure Coalition has not yet issued an official statement but Evans Family Media will have a report once they do. The 7 County Infrastructure Coalition was formed in 2014 and has a board made from one commissioner from the following 7 counties: San Juan, Emery, Sevier, Carbon, Daggett, Duchesne, and Uintah. The Uinta Basin Railway is among their projects aimed at implementing needed and sustainable infrastructure.
