Uintah County used public funds to pave Seep Ridge Road, which provides an advantage to the proposed development of bitumen (tar sands) and hard rock kerogen (oil shale). The highway construction ends at the northern boundary of Grand County. Many dirty energy proponents would like to see this highway connect to Interstate 70 and the adjacent railroad.

The eastern counties of Utah have since formed a coalition to advance transportation infrastructure for the benefit of oil corporations. Grand County has made the decision to not join this coalition.

The other six counties proposed a railroad that would parallel Highway 191 to deliver waxy crudes from Duschene and Uintah counties and using public funds to provide a down payment for a federal constructions loan. 

The project was expensive from the start, but revised and increased cost estimates put the total debt obligation out of reach.

It is not the responsibility of county governments to help corporations over the needs of the citizens that are already impacted negatively by these industries extracting hydrocarbons with low energy return.

BREAKING NEWS

• Leaders Drop Wells-to-Rails Plan For Uinta Basin Oil. Salt Lake Tribune.
• Grand County Bails on Eastern Utah Infrastructure Group. Salt LakeTribune.
  
• Vision for "National Parks Highway" has Grand County Hole. Salt Lake Tribune.
  

• 2013 Presentation: Uintah Basin Energy & Transportation Study. Pope.
• Fact Sheet - Uinta Basin Rail Road. Utah DOT.
• Program Guide - Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA). US DOT.
• Website - "Learn More About TIFIA". Office of Innovative Program Delivery.

SEVEN COUNTY COALITION MEETINGS

• Agendas: September to November 2014
• September and October 2014: Coalition Minutes
• September 26, 2014: Solicitation for Partnerships
• October 7, 2014: Amended and Original Request for Qualifications for Engineering Planning Survey
• December 6, 2014: Rules and Regulations for the 7 County Coalition
  

ENGINEERING QUALIFICATION PROPOSALS

• Request for Qualified Engineer Proposals
• 670, LLC
  
• Ames
  
• HDR
  
• Jones and DeMille
• WATCO
  

COMMUNITY IMPACT BOARD (CIB)

• Utah Code
• Guidelines
• Community Impact Board (CIB) - 2013 Program Summary
• CIB - 2013 Legislative Report
• CIB - Agenda for October 2014
• CIB - Minutes of September 3, 2014

CIB MEETING AUDIO

• September 3, 2014
• September 12, 2014
• October 2, 2014
• October 3, 2014
• November 7, 2014
• December 5, 2014 - Part One
• December 5, 2014 - Part Two
  

• Citizen Comments Received After The Sept. 2014 Public Forum
• Christina Sloan - Letter of Question about 7 CC (September 2014).

DOCUMENTS

• 2014 - Utah Coal: A Report and Scenario Plan. Rural Planning Group.

• Salt Lake Tribune
• Castle Country Radio
• Letter to the Editor
• ETV 10 News
  
• Moab Sun News Op Ed
• 7CC Op Ed

STUDIES

• UDOT - Grand Uintah County Connection Final Feasibility Study