The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition Executive Director Mike McKee issued a statement on Tuesday regarding a decision made concerning the proposed Uinta Basin Railway. “I am pleased to announce that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) has preliminarily granted the Coalition’s Petition for Exemption to construct and operate the railway, subject to completion of the environmental review process. The environmental review process will continue on its current schedule,” said Seven County Infrastructure Coalition Executive Director Mike McKee. “While the Surface Transportation Board cannot issue final approval of the project until the environmental process is complete, this is a big step for our team, our community, and our supporters.” Tuesday’s announcement also shared the following: Additionally, this decision is effective 30 days from the date of service which will be February 4th, 2021. Petitions for reconsideration must be filed by January 25th, 2021. The Coalition submitted a Petition for Exemption to the STB on Friday, May 28th, 2020. In order to be granted an exemption, the Coalition must demonstrate that a full transportation merits proceeding is not necessary to carry out the rail transportation policy set out in the ICC Termination Act (49 U.S.C. § 10101), and that the railway project is either of limited scope, or that a proceeding is not needed to protect shippers from the abuse of market power. The Coalition is the project proponent of the proposed railway that seeks to solve the freight transportation challenges in the Uinta Basin by connecting various industries to the national rail network. This common-carrier railway will move goods in a safe and cost-effective way to enable economic stability, sustainable communities and enriched quality of life. Learn more about the Uinta Basin Railway project at uintabasinrailway.com. View the decision from the Surface Transportation Board at prod.stb.gov under Recent Decisions.
