Bennet, Neguse Urge Surface Transportation Board to Conduct Comprehensive Review of the Uinta Basin Railway’s Risks to Colorado

Jan 14, 2026| Press Releases

Washington, D.C. - Colorado U.S. Senator Michael Bennet and Congressman Joe Neguse sent a letter to the Surface Transportation Board urging them to reject the motion submitted by the proponents of the Uinta Basin Railway project and to engage in a comprehensive review of the project, including robust public comment.

"We urge the Board to reject the motion submitted by the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition to reaffirm the Board's previous approval of the project with a truncated review. Instead, the Board should engage in a thorough, rigorous evaluation of the project that includes robust public participation and a supplemental environmental impact statement that considers the project's risks to Colorado's communities, water, land, air, and climate," wrote the lawmakers.

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals found that the Board's original environmental review failed to take a "hard look" at the project's effects on Colorado communities, as required by law. The lawmakers emphasize that input from Colorado communities is crucial, particularly from local governments and water districts located along the proposed rail line. A train accident or spill could have catastrophic effects not only on Colorado's water supplies, wildlife habitats, and outdoor recreation assets, but also on the broader Colorado River Basin.

"We urge the Board to carefully consider those concerns before rendering a decision that could jeopardize the water supplies, environment, and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. Without a robust analysis and full public review, the errors identified in the D.C. Circuit Court's original decision would remain unaddressed, and the legitimacy of the Board's action would be undermined," continued the lawmakers.

"We appreciate the importance of expanding our nation's energy infrastructure, but we cannot accept an approach that places the Colorado River and the 40 million Americans who depend on it at unnecessary risk," concluded the lawmakers.

Bennet and Neguse have consistently raised concerns about the proposed Uinta Basin Railway and its risks to Colorado's communities, water, land, air, and climate. In June 2025, Bennet and Neguse opposed the expedited review of the Wildcat Loadout facility. In May 2025, Bennet and Neguse expressed their disappointment with the Supreme Court decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition V. Eagle County, Colorado. In October 2024, Bennet and Neguse joined Colorado leaders to support Eagle County's position before the U.S. Supreme Court in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, Colorado. In January 2024, Bennet and Neguse applauded the U.S. Forest Service's withdrawal of its Record of Decision that would have authorized the issuance of a special use permit for the Uinta Basin Railway. In August 2023, the lawmakers welcomed the D.C. Circuit Court's decision to overrule the Surface Transportation Board's approval of the project, vacating its environmental review and ordering a new review. Leading up to these decisions, Bennet and Neguse urged federal agencies to conduct additional environmental review of the risks to Colorado from the proposed project-including to the Council on Environmental Quality in July 2022, and to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency in March 2023.

The full text of the letter is available HERE and below.

Dear Chairman Fuchs:

As the Surface Transportation Board ("the Board") considers the Uinta Basin Railway project ("the Railway") on remand from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, we urge the Board to reject the motion submitted by the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition to reaffirm the Board's previous approval of the project with a truncated review. Instead, the Board should engage in a thorough, rigorous evaluation of the project that includes robust public participation and a supplemental environmental impact statement (EIS) that considers the project's risks to Colorado's communities, water, land, air, and climate.

In 2021, the Board's Final EIS concluded that the Railway would enable the shipment of up to 4.6 billion gallons of crude oil per year from Utah through Colorado to the Gulf Coast on as many as five, two-mile-long trains per day. These trains would run for over 100 miles directly alongside the headwaters of the Colorado River - a vital water supply for nearly 40 million Americans, 30 Tribal nations, millions of acres of agricultural land, and a main driver of our state's recreation and tourism economies.

A train derailment that spills oil in the headwaters of the Colorado River would be catastrophic not only to our state's water supplies, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation assets, but also to the broader Colorado River Basin. Train accidents and spills are not rare, as the recent derailment of a coal train into the Gunnison River underscores. In addition, an accident along the rail line could further increase wildfire risk at a time when the West already faces severe drought. Many Colorado communities along the proposed railway are still recovering from extreme wildfires, severe flash flooding, and mudslides, while managing water levels at unprecedented lows. This project also poses new hazards for Denver residents, where it is estimated to quadruple the number of rail cars carrying hazardous materials through the city.

The Board's EIS did not disclose these potential effects on the Colorado River and Colorado communities, a flaw that the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded meant that the EIS failed to take the "hard look" required by law. The U.S. Supreme Court's May 2025 ruling did not address or disturb this part of the D.C. Circuit's decision. The Board should conduct a thorough and updated supplemental EIS that assesses these risks. As part of that process, the Board should ensure Colorado communities have the opportunity to have their voices heard. A wide range of local governments, water districts, and other stakeholders along the Union Pacific rail line continue to have grave concerns about the risks of the project. We urge the Board to carefully consider those concerns before rendering a decision that could jeopardize the water supplies, environment, and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of Coloradans. Without a robust analysis and full public review, the errors identified in the D.C. Circuit Court's original decision would remain unaddressed, and the legitimacy of the Board's action would be undermined.

Additionally, a detailed supplemental EIS is necessary since the Board's EIS is now over four years old. Furthermore, the economic analysis underpinning the Board's decision is now more than seven years old and fails to account for the current global oversupply of oil or the significantly increased cost of steel, two factors that call the Railway's economic viability into question.

We appreciate the importance of expanding our nation's energy infrastructure, but we cannot accept an approach that places the Colorado River and the 40 million Americans who depend on it at unnecessary risk.

We appreciate your consideration of this important matter.

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