The Surface Transportation Board announced today that its Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement (Final EIS) for the proposed construction and operation of a 43-mile rail line between Levan and Salina, Utah. Approval to construct and operate the line is being sought by the Six County Association of Governments’ (Six Counties), an association of local governments located in central Utah. The rail line would run from a proposed coal transfer facility in Salina to a connection with a Union Pacific Railroad mainline near Levan and would allow coal currently being shipped by truck to be transported by rail. OEA worked with two cooperating agencies - the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - on the Final EIS.
The Final EIS sets forth OEA’s final recommendations to the Board on an environmentally preferred alternative route and mitigation measures to minimize environmental impacts, based on OEA’s consultation with Federal, state, and local agencies and input from citizens and organizations in Utah. Issuance of the Final EIS completes the environmental review process, following a 2007 Draft EIS and a 2014 Supplemental Draft EIS. The Board now will decide whether to grant final approval for the proposal. In reaching a final decision, the Board will take into consideration the Draft EIS, Supplemental DEIS, and Final EIS, including OEA’s final recommendations.
The Final EIS was issued today in the proceeding entitled Six County Association Of Governments—Construction And Operation Exemption—Rail Line Between Levan And Salina, Utah, Docket No. FD 34075. (The local governments that comprise Six Counties are Sevier, Juab, Sanpete, Millard, Piute, and Wayne Counties.) The entire Final EIS is available for viewing and downloading via the Board’s Website, at http://www.stb.dot.gov, under E-LIBRARY on the home page, then under Decisions & Notices, beneath the date 05/22/15. The FEIS also is available under ENVIRONMENTAL MATTERS on the home page, then under Key Cases. |