In 1948 oil was found in the Uintah Basin but not developed until the early 1970s. Duchesne city is located in the area of vast oil and natural gas reserves spanning the northeast corner of Utah and extending into western Colorado. As prices for crude rise, oil industry jobs open up in the town but also disappear when crude prices fall. Although reserves are vast, oil production is stifled to almost 50% of capacity by lack of transportation of the paraffin rich crude. Currently crude is only transported to refineries in the Salt Lake city area using trucks. Pipelines can not be used because of the high wax content of the crude. Currently(2019) a study is being conducted on feasibility of a rail line passing through Duchesne to allow transport of the crude to bigger markets.