Vernal • A controversial rail proposal, which would connect the Uinta Basin’s waxy crude with Gulf Coast refiners, cleared a crucial milestone Thursday by securing a $21.4 million grant from a Utah panel that doles out grants from a fund fed by federal mineral royalties.
The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition sought the grant to conduct planning and environmental reviews needed to get the wheels rolling on the Uinta Basin Railway, an 80-mile line from near Roosevelt to the Union Pacific tracks at the head of Price Canyon.
After three hours of discussion, the state’s Community Impact Board (CIB) agreed to fund the huge request that bears little resemblance to its typical grants and loans that support projects that address the impacts of mineral extraction and enhance community services.