Supreme Court to Review NEPA Analysis in Controversial Utah Oil Rail Line Case Amid Environmental Concerns.

The Supreme Court has granted a petition challenging the breadth of analysis required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) under consideration. This is among the first environmental cases the court has agreed to hear next term. The petition could potentially limit the scope of environmental review of a proposed oil rail line in Utah, which would carry crude oil out of the Uinta Basin and eventually connect the fuel to refineries in the Gulf Coast. Environmental groups have criticized the Supreme Court’s decision to take up the case, arguing that the appellate court’s decision on the project is legally sound. The Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, which is developing the project with the Rio Grande Pacific Corp. and the DHIP Group, has praised the project’s economic benefits.