The Supreme Court will consider reinstating a critical approval for a rail project in eastern Utah

Mark Sherman & Mead Gruver, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court agreed connected Monday to see reviving a captious support for a railroad task that would transportation crude lipid and boost fossil substance accumulation successful agrarian eastbound Utah.

The justices will reappraisal an appeals tribunal ruling that overturned nan support issued by nan Surface Transportation Board for nan Uinta Basin Railway, an 88-mile (142-kilometer) railroad line. Arguments will return spot successful nan fall.

The obstruction statement would link lipid and state producers successful agrarian Utah to nan broader obstruction network, allowing them to entree larger markets and yet waste to refineries adjacent nan Gulf of Mexico. Producers who are presently constricted to tanker trucks would beryllium capable to vessel an further 350,000 barrels of crude regular connected trains extending for up to 2 miles (3.2 kilometers).

The railway is being pursued done a public-private business betwixt infrastructure improvement and finance patient DHIP Group successful Winter Park, Florida, and nan Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, a assemblage formed by eastbound Utah officials.

Other proponents see lipid businesses and nan Ute Indian Tribe of nan Uintah & Ouray Reservation. They person based on that nan railroad would beryllium a boon to struggling section economies and boost home power production.

The type of lipid to beryllium exported from Utah — waxy crude, which is semi-solid astatine room somesthesia — makes it much challenging to move. Currently it’s heated and shipped successful insulated trucks.

The oil’s consistency, connected nan different hand, makes it little damaging and easier to cleanable up aft spills, task proponents say.

The Supreme Court determination to perceive nan lawsuit was origin for optimism for nan stalled railroad’s developers.

“This task is captious for nan economical maturation and connectivity of nan Uinta Basin region and we are committed to seeing it through,” Keith Heaton, head of nan Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, said successful a statement.

Environmental groups and Colorado’s Eagle County, which sued to situation nan project, nevertheless interest astir information and imaginable train derailments. From nan railway successful Utah, nan lipid trains would participate Colorado, pursuing nan Colorado River upstream and complete nan Rocky Mountains to Denver and beyond.

Colorado U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet and U.S. Rep Joe Neguse, some Democrats, reason nan project, asserting that an lipid spill successful nan Colorado River headwaters would beryllium catastrophic.

Environmental groups besides contend that nan obstruction statement will let much lipid to beryllium extracted and burned, contributing to ambiance change.

The national appeals tribunal successful Washington ruled past twelvemonth that nan Surface Transportation Board’s biology support was rushed and violated national law.

The rumor astatine nan Supreme Court is whether nan agency should person weighed nan imaginable biology harm of nan railroad’s main cargo, some wherever nan lipid is drilled successful Utah and refined connected nan Gulf Coast, erstwhile it has nary regulatory authority complete lipid production.

“It’s disappointing nan Supreme Court took up this lawsuit but nan appellate court’s determination connected this destructive task is legally sound and should yet stand,” Wendy Park, a elder lawyer astatine nan Center for Biological Diversity, said successful a statement.

The railroad would still request further reappraisal and authorities approvals to proceed moreover if its developers prevail earlier nan Supreme Court, nan group noted.