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River groups ask Grand County to press federal and state officials for rail-safety measures on proposed Uinta Basin route
Summary
Trout Unlimited, Great Old Broads and other local advocates asked Grand County to send a mitigation letter to the Surface Transportation Board and state officials citing the EIS estimate of a derailment every four years on a proposed route that would carry long, heavy trains of waxy crude through canyons including Byers Canyon; the board authorized staff to draft and expedite a letter emphasizing notification, training, equipment and limits on train length.
Representatives from Trout Unlimited and allied conservation groups urged the board to press federal and state authorities for rail-safety mitigation related to the proposed Uinta Basin Railway. Kirk Clanky of Trout Unlimited summarized the risk: the EIS estimated a derailment somewhere in the 200-mile corridor every four years and longer, heavier trains carrying waxy crude would raise derailment risk and potential environmental harm. "These trains would carry waxy crude, travel along a 200 mile corridor of the Colorado River, including the three canyons we have here in Grand County," Clanky said, adding that a spill into the river could threaten municipal and agricultural water supplies.
Speakers also asked that any letter require immediate notification protocols to local emergency dispatch and municipal water operators, better first-responder training and staging of equipment in-county, and consideration of limiting train length. Rich Newton, who relayed feedback from local fire chiefs and water operators, emphasized immediate notification as essential to allow towns to shut intakes and protect water systems. Commissioners voted to direct staff to draft the letter and authorize stamped signatures after final review, and discussed copying state legislators and the governor to pursue funding and regulatory follow-up on the rail-safety statute passed previously.
