A federal permit granted by the Forest Service that would have authorized the Uinta Basin Railway to be constructed across 12 miles of Forest Service land in Duchesne County has been withdrawn. The Forest Service announced the withdrawal on January 17th in response to a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that calls for further environmental review of the project. This doesn’t mean that stakeholders and supporters in Utah are giving up on the project. Representative John Curtis is a supporter of allowing Utahns to utilize the state’s critical natural resources. He stated, “If America wants to increase our domestic energy production, we can’t expect stakeholders to pour money and resources into projects without regulatory certainty.” Curtis emphasized that he will continue to advocate for these types of projects. Senator Mike Lee’s Communication Director Billy Gribbin also responded to inquiries from Evans Family Media about the Forest Service’s decision this week. He shared that “Senator Lee remains hopeful about the future of this project, and continues to advocate for the right of Utah communities to use their own land for vital infrastructure, free from bureaucratic interference in Washington.”
