US EditionSupreme Court limits environmental review of major infrastructure projects
- The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on May 29, 2025, in Washington, DC, to approve an 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway expansion in Utah to boost oil production.
- The case arose after backers appealed a lower court ruling that required a broad environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act, which they argued was too extensive.
- The Court reversed the lower court, holding that regulators properly considered only direct project effects and not wider upstream or downstream impacts, restoring federal approval.
- Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed that judicial bodies ought to respect regulatory agencies' discretion in determining the boundaries for evaluating relevant factors, while Justice Sonia Sotomayor concurred with the decision but based her agreement on different legal grounds.
- The ruling supports major oil and gas interests but the project may face further legal or regulatory challenges, and Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself due to ties to a billionaire interested party.
53 Articles
53 Articles
SCOTUS decision puts Uinta Basin railroad project back on track - Complete Colorado
DENVER–The U.S. Supreme Court recently gave the go ahead to a Utah-based railroad project that will eventually haul crude oil along a stretch of the Colorado River, despite opposition from various environmental groups and local governments including Eagle County, which originally brought a lawsuit against the project as plaintiff. The 88 mile-long Uinta Basin railroad project would connect oil-rich areas of Utah to existing track that runs throu…
The Conversation
Supreme Court changes the game on federal environmental reviews
A pumpjack in eastern Utah extracts oil from underground. AP Photo/Rick BowmerGetting federal approval for permits to build bridges, wind farms, highways and other major infrastructure projects has long been a complicated and time-consuming process. Despite growing calls from both parties for Congress and federal agencies to reform that process, there had been few significant revisions – until now. In one fell swoop, the U.S. Supreme Court has c…
The Supreme Court Just Started a Permitting Revolution - R Street Institute
Data supports the idea that NEPA holds back clean energy projects, but that is partly because it holds back so many kinds of projects. The R Street Institute, a center-right think tank, has found that 42% of projects stalled by NEPA involved green infrastructure or conservation. The post The Supreme Court Just Started a Permitting Revolution appeared first on R Street Institute.
The Supreme Court Just Started a Permitting Revolution
A new chapter opened for one of the country’s most important environmental laws this week.On Thursday, the Supreme Court transformed the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, an environmental permitting law that affects virtually every decision that the federal government makes. The quasi-unanimous ruling limits the law’s scope and cuts off future avenues for challenging energy and infrastructure projects under the law. It could reshape th…
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