The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition board in USA has selected Drexel Hamilton Infrastructure Partners, LP for a public-private partnership to finance and build the proposed Uinta Basin Railway. 

This Uinta Basin Railway is a new rail line proposed by the Coalition that will connect the Uinta Basin’s various industries to the national rail network. The railway will provide the long understood need for a cost-effective solution for additional transportation infrastructure in the Uinta Basin.

Once the public-private partnership is finalized through definitive agreements, Drexel Hamilton will finance, develop and construct the Uinta Basin Railway. They are partnered with Rio Grande Pacific Corporation to operate and maintain the railway.

The Coalition will continue in its current role as the public partner responsible for obtaining environmental clearance and authorization from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. The Surface Transportation Board will oversee the National Environmental Policy Act process for the railway by preparing an environmental impact statement.

The Board also voted to approve a rail term sheet with the Ute Indian Tribe. The Coalition and the Tribe continue ongoing, positive discussions in an effort to take steps towards a formal partnership. The Coalition appreciates the support that the Tribal natural resources offices and energy and minerals departments have provided thus far.

The Uinta Basin Railway will provide economic stability to communities in the Uinta Basin by creating well-paying jobs and increasing opportunities for the Basin’s main industries: oil and gas, agriculture and livestock, and mining. The goods produced by these industries play a critical role in the U.S. economy, providing fuel for automobiles, plastics for medical supplies, and feed for livestock throughout the U.S.