WASHINGTON — Union Pacific has asked federal regulators for a timeline for completion of the environmental review of the railroad’s proposal to build a 6-mile branch that would serve an industrial park near Phoenix.
On Aug. 31, 2023, the Surface Transportation Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis put an indefinite hold on the final environmental assessment of the project after finding what it called “significant ground disturbance and damage to archaeological resources in the area of the proposed right of way.”
In a letter to STB Chairman Robert E. Primus this week, UP CEO Jim Vena sought an update.
“Given the importance of this project to our customers and the local Arizona community, I would urge the STB to provide all stakeholders a clear path and timetable to advance this project,” Vena wrote. “Union Pacific had been working closely with the Board’s Office of Environmental Analysis for more than two years on the appropriate environmental and historical reviews before learning that third parties engaged in ground-disturbing activities. We accept and support the necessity of the Agency’s investigation into the circumstances that led to entirely unacceptable harms on cultural resources. But for six months, Union Pacific and all other interested stakeholders have been waiting for the agency to provide a clear path forward to resolve the harms and gain the Agency’s approval for this exciting growth opportunity.”
The proposed Pecos Industrial Rail Access Train Extension (PIRATE) project would connect UP’s Phoenix Subdivision to industrial properties southeast of the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport. Last October Commercial Metals Company opened a steel micromill in the Pecos Advanced Manufacturing Zone that the branch aims to serve.
“Union Pacific regrets the impact this delay is having on CMC, and we are disappointed our Railroad has been unable to grow carloads and get trucks off the road as a result,” Vena wrote.
Last week members of Arizona’s congressional delegation urged the STB to make the PIRATE review a priority.
“By incorporating rail as a transportation option for the PAMZ, businesses in the zone will have a valuable alternative to trucks to transport their products. This will open new markets for Arizona’s domestic products while simultaneously reducing emissions from truck freight. In addition, the public will benefit from reduced road congestion as tens of thousands of trucks worth of freight annually could be converted to rail,” they wrote.
Hmmmmm… Well given that chair Primus just had hearings with concerns over rail growth… Why the delay?… Perhaps more pressing needs such as hearing to finally clear up the common carrier obligations, and reciprocal switching should be the priority.. Not hearings on rail growth..