Appeals court strikes down Utah oil railroad approval, siding with environmentalists
By SAM METZ
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A U.S. Appeals Court has struck down a critical approval for a railroad project that would have allowed oil businesses in eastern Utah to significantly expand fossil fuel production and exports. Friday’s ruling is the latest development in the fight over the proposed Uinta Basin Railway, an 88-mile railroad line that would connect oil and gas producers in rural Utah to the broader rail network. The court sided with environmentalists who argue that constructing new infrastructure to transport more fossil fuels will allow more oil to be extracted and burned, contributing to climate change.