Supreme Court Approves Controversial Oil Railroad Expansion in Utah
By Lindsay Whitehurst, Associated Press
In a unanimous decision on Thursday, the Supreme Court endorsed a multibillion-dollar expansion of the Uinta Basin Railway in Utah, facilitating a significant increase in oil production in the region. The 8-0 ruling interprets the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) narrowly, prompting critics to voice concern over the environmental implications.
The proposed 88-mile railway will connect oil and gas producers to a broader rail network, potentially quadrupling output in the remote area characterized by sandstone and sagebrush. By reversing a lower court’s decision, the justices reinstated a key approval from the Surface Transportation Board, although the project may still encounter legal challenges.
Environmental advocates and a Colorado county argued that regulators should evaluate a variety of potential impacts tied to increased oil production. However, Justice Brett Kavanaugh emphasized that regulators were correct to focus on the immediate effects of the railway project. Justice Sonia Sotomayor concurred with the outcome but with differing reasoning, asserting that long-term environmental impacts should remain outside regulatory purview.
Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself from the case due to potential conflicts of interest linked to his past legal work for an oil tycoon.
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