Uinta Basin Railway Permit Withdrawn, Colorado River Protected!

A court finding overturned the Surface Transportation Board’s approval of the Uinta Oil Train Project, leading the Forest Service to withdraw the Project’s Special Use Permit. This permit removal protects the Colorado River and the classic whitewater of places like Gore Canyon (pictured), Glenwood Canyon, Westwater Canyon and so many more – for now. This is a moment for celebration! As well as a moment to commit to vigilance in protecting and stewarding the Colorado River through what is likely to be a time of significant threats. We applaud the Forest Service for withdrawing this permit and the Congresspeople who stepped up to help protect the river, and we thank the coalition of local governments in Colorado that led the lawsuit asserting their concerns about unaddressed risks to the Colorado River, increased wildfire danger, and climate impacts. Glenwood Springs organized the ten government coalition, which included Avon, Minturn, Red Cliff and Vail in Eagle County, along with Boulder, Chaffee, Lake, Pitkin and Routt counties.

You may remember taking action on this issue over the past several years and your voices helped push Colorado delegates to take action. Following in your footsteps, U.S. Senator Michael Bennet, and Colorado U.S. Representative Joe Neguse called on the administration to suspend the Project’s authorization until a supplemental review could fully evaluate the project's effects on the Colorado River and the local communities and environment that depend on it. American Whitewater has been actively working through multiple channels to oppose this project, which if approved would transport 4.6 billion gallons of waxy crude oil per year directly alongside more than 100 miles of the headwaters of the Colorado River – the water supply for nearly 40 million Americans, 30 Tribal nations, millions of acres of agricultural land, and a cornerstone of Colorado’s recreation and tourism economies.