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yesterday

Supreme Court backs Utah oil railway, limits NEPA environmental reviews

Construction of the Uinta Basin Railway still hinges on additional federal approvals, facing legal challenges over its narrowed environmental review.

A train transports freight on a common carrier line near Price, Utah, on July 13, 2023.
FILE - Supreme Court is seen on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 25, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
A view of the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, U.S., July 1, 2024. REUTERS/Kevin Mohatt/File Photo
The Supreme Court building is seen at sunset in Washington.

Overview

  • Supreme Court unanimously overturned the D.C. Circuit’s 2023 block and restored federal approval for the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition’s 88-mile rail line.
  • Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that NEPA’s mandate extends only to direct project effects, rejecting requirements to assess upstream and downstream environmental impacts.
  • The railway would carry waxy crude from Utah’s Uinta Basin to national rail lines, with proponents projecting a quadrupling of regional oil output and faster Gulf Coast access.
  • The ruling sets a precedent to streamline environmental reviews for highways, airports and pipelines, reflecting support from both Trump and Biden administrations for shorter permitting timelines.
  • Environmental organizations, including Earthjustice and the Sierra Club, warn that narrowing NEPA reviews could heighten pollution and climate risks and have vowed to contest further approvals.