SALT LAKE CITY — A federal appeals court has hit the brakes on plans for a controversial rail project in eastern Utah.
In a unanimous ruling handed down on Friday, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision by the federal Surface Transportation Board to allow the Uinta Basin Railway project. The judges were critical of the Board's process to approve the project, saying they did not consider the environmental and community impacts down the rail line.
"The Board failed to weigh the Project’s uncertain financial viability and the full potential for environmental harm against the transportation benefits it identified," Judge Robert Wilkins wrote in the ruling.
The effect of the Court's ruling derails the project. Supporters can seek an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Eagle County, Colo., and environmental groups sued over the Uinta Basin Railway Project, which is designed to be a line through eastern Utah's Uintah Basin into Colorado. They argued it would have significant impacts on the Colorado River and communities throughout multiple states.
"A lot of the permits they received were based on this one flawed analysis. So it’s really good news for all of us who are concerned about the climate emergency and the consequences that would ensue if this railway was built," said Deeda Seed with the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs in the litigation.
The project had support from the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition — made up of a number of eastern Utah counties — and Governor Spencer Cox. The U.S. Forest Service last year granted approval for the rail line, but the court's ruling would overrule that.
"This decision is disappointing because of the crucial transportation needs of the people and businesses in the Uinta Basin. We’ll continue fighting to provide rail access to Utahns living and working in the basin," Gov. Cox told FOX 13 News in statement on Friday afternoon.
The director of the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition did not respond to a message from FOX 13 News seeking comment.
Read the Court's ruling here:
