Utah
Utah oil-train backers petition U.S. Supreme Court to restore railway's approval • Colorado Newsline
The proponents of a planned short-line Utah railroad that would dramatically increase oil-train traffic through Colorado last week filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking a review of litigation that derailed the project late last year.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit in August overturned the federal approval of the 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway, which would connect the oil fields of northeastern Utah to the nation’s main rail network, ruling regulatory agencies didn’t properly scrutinize the potential downstream environmental impacts. In November, the court rejected a petition for rehearing, and in January the U.S. Forest Service withdrew its approval for the segment of line crossing the agency’s land.
Now the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, formed by seven oil-rich counties in the area to fund and facilitate the rail project, is seeking more state money to take its case all the way to the Supreme Court.
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In its March 4 filing, the infrastructure coalition claims the D.C. appeals court decision took too broad a view of the National Environmental Policy Act review required of the rail project, and that the federal regulatory agencies did not have to consider the impacts to Colorado or the Gulf Coast communities where the oil would be refined.
At stake is whether federal regulatory agencies must consider downstream impacts such as potential oil spills, wildfires and carbon emissions contributing to global warming. The coalition cites a 2004 case, Department of Transportation v. Public Citizen, which found an agency’s limited authority might not require it to consider more far-reaching impacts under NEPA.
“Boundless NEPA review hurts project proponents and the public too,” the coalition argues in its March 4 petition to the Supreme Court. “The time and expense of environmental review is a barrier to all kinds of new projects — including clean energy projects — that prevents some of them from ever getting off the ground. In the end, the only way to stop runaway scoping from overwhelming the NEPA process is to consistently apply this Court’s holding in Public Citizen.”
There have been different interpretations of the Public Citizen decision by various appellate courts since 2004.
Down the Line: Tracing the route — and risks — of Utah’s proposed Colorado-bound oil trains
Opponents of the Uinta Basin Railway, including one of the environmental groups that sued to stop it, are skeptical the Supreme Court will take up the case given the appellate court’s finding of numerous NEPA violations.
“This appeal is a last-ditch attempt to dodge environmental laws to facilitate a climate train wreck,” said Wendy Park, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The courts have made crystal clear that plans for this proposed oil train violate numerous federal laws. It’s unfortunate that Uinta Basin Railway backers are wasting more taxpayer money by taking the case to the Supreme Court. It’s time for this catastrophic oil-industry project to die once and for all.”
The Center for Biological Diversity and Colorado’s Eagle County were the prime litigants suing to stop the rail project, and they were supported by several other environmental groups, towns and counties in Colorado.
In the meantime, Utah’s oil industry has been working on loadout facility expansion projects that would allow for a big increase in trucking traffic in the area and increase export capacity nearly to the level the rail project would have been able to accommodate, with significant negative air-quality impacts.
Democratic members of Colorado’s congressional delegation, led by U.S. Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, remain opposed to the Utah oil expansion increasing train traffic along the endangered Colorado River, while Utah Sen. Mike Lee and U.S. Rep. John Curtis of Provo have been trying — unsuccessfully so far — to reinstate approval of the rail project in amendments to various appropriations bills.
The Lakers kept pointing to the summer of 2026 as when they would make their big move. It’s when they would have the cap space to radically reshape the roster around Luka Doncic and better fit his style of play.
They have done exactly that — starting with trading for the center they desperately needed.
The Utah Jazz are trading 24-year-old center Walker Kessler to the Lakers for two unprotected first-round picks (2031, 2033) and two first-round pick swaps (2028 and 2030), a story first reported by Shams Charania of ESPN. The Lakers are signing Kessler, a restricted free agent, to a four-year, $130 million contract (averaging $32.5 million per season).
This is a huge win for the Lakers. Luka Doncic has said getting a center who can set picks and roll hard to the rim was key to his success, and Kessler may be the best one he has ever played with. Kessler has been at the top of the Lakers’ wish list for a while, but he was a restricted free agent, and the expectation in league circles was that Utah would pay up to keep him.
However, the price the Lakers agreed to pay — essentially four first-round picks — was just too good for Utah to pass up. Utah still has Jaren Jackson Jr., who can play center, which slides Lauri Markkanen over to the four, with Keyonte George, No. 2 pick Darryn Peterson and Ace Bailey likely rounding out the starting five. That’s still a very good team, and the Jazz now have picks they can use or trade to add around that core. Danny and Austin Ainge — the Utah brain trust — did very well in this deal, setting the Jazz up for the future.
The Lakers’ gamble here is health — Kessler played in just five games last season due to shoulder surgery and just 58 games the season before that. When healthy, he has shown his potential on both ends, and last season averaged 14.4 points and 10.8 rebounds per game when he did play. For his career, he averaged 2.4 blocked shots per game and is one of the few centers in the league equally capable of blocking shots with either hand.
Utah wanted to keep Kessler and reportedly offered four years, $140 million ($28 million a year on average). Kessler and his agent went looking for a larger deal and secured it with the Lakers (their offer is $32.5 million per season on average).
Kessler was the big splash, but it wasn’t the only move the Lakers made. Soon after that trade was reported, a series of other Lakers deals were announced:
• Guard Quentin Grimes is leaving Philadelphia to come to the Lakers on a four-year, $60 million deal.
• Floor spacing big man Sandro Mamukelashvili agreed to come to Los Angeles on a four-year, $52 million deal. He will serve as a backup big but provides the shooting the Lakers need to space the floor around Doncic and Austin Reaves.
• Point guard Collin Sexton to join the Lakers on a two-year, $19 million deal with a player option on the second year.
• All of that on top of previously having re-signed Austin Reaves to a four-year, $184.8 million deal that locks him in as the secondary guard and shot creator next to Doncic.
The Lakers have gone all-in. The only draft capital they have left to trade is a 2032 pick swap and a 2033 second-rounder. That’s it. This is their core.
But like another professional sports team in Los Angeles, the Lakers essentially said “f*** those picks” and leaned into win-now players. It worked out when the Los Angeles Rams did it, winning a championship, and the Lakers are hoping for that same level of success.
SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — After weeks of long days on the fire line, firefighters battling Utah’s Iron and Cherry fires received some four-legged support.
Golden Healers, a Utah nonprofit that provides therapy and service dogs, visited the wildfire base camp at the invitation of the incident management team, giving firefighters a chance to step away from the demands of the job, if only for a few minutes.
The certified therapy dogs spent time with crews in dining areas, gathering spaces and rest areas, where firefighters petted the dogs, took photos and talked about the pets waiting for them back home.
MORE | Utah Fires
“Our firefighters face tremendous physical and emotional demands every day,” said Mike Carlson, founder and CEO of Golden Healers. “Sometimes all it takes is a few minutes with a therapy dog to help someone relax, smile and reset before heading back to work. It was an honor to support these incredible men and women.”
The visit came as hundreds of firefighters continue working to contain the Iron and Cherry fires, which have burned tens of thousands of acres in central Utah.
Golden Healers brought several certified therapy dogs, including Golden Retrievers, doodles, poodles and a corgi. Each dog has completed specialized therapy training designed to help them remain calm in busy, high-stress environments.
Volunteers said the response from firefighters was immediate.
Crews who had spent hours battling wildfire conditions gathered around the dogs, laughing, sharing stories and enjoying a brief reminder of home before returning to their assignments.
One of the most memorable moments came when an entire firefighting crew surrounded one therapy dog, taking turns petting it while talking about their own dogs and families.
For a few minutes, conversations shifted away from fire behavior and operational briefings to life beyond the fire camp.
“Watching these firefighters light up the moment a dog walked over reminded us why therapy dogs are so important,” Carlson said. “These are people who dedicate their lives to protecting our communities, often while spending weeks away from their own families. If we can give them even a few minutes of comfort and emotional support, then we’ve accomplished something meaningful.”
Golden Healers hopes to continue visiting wildfire camps and other first responders across Utah. The nonprofit regularly provides therapy dog visits to hospitals, schools, law enforcement agencies, mental health providers and community organizations.
“Our mission has always been to improve lives through the healing power of dogs,” Carlson said. “Whether we’re helping a child with autism, supporting someone struggling with mental health, or bringing comfort to firefighters after a long shift, these dogs have an incredible ability to connect with people exactly when they need it most.”
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State Sen. Todd Weiler previously shared a six-post thread about opponents of the Box Elder data center allegedly being paid by China.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Sen. Todd Weiler, R-Woods Cross, says a few words during a ceremonial bill signing to highlight landmark legislation that establishes Utah as a national leader in protecting kids online, in the Gold Room at the Capitol, on Friday, April 4, 2025.
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