The Supreme Court reinstates federal approval in Uinta Basin Railway project

UINTA BASIN, Utah (ABC4) — In a landmark decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of a project that will bring a railway through the Uinta Basin.

In the 8-0 ruling, the Supreme Court determined that reviews of infrastructure projects conducted under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) don’t need to consider certain environmental impacts. Under NEPA, the government has been required to consider the proposed environmental impacts of projects that will build things like highways and pipelines.

This decision will reinstate the Uinta Basin Railway project, which aims to connect Utah to the National Railway system by building a railroad through the heart of the Uinta Basin. The proposed railway would transport materials like oil, gas, and mined materials.

“This decision affirms the years of work and collaboration that have gone into making the Uinta Basin Railway a reality,” said Keith Heaton, director of the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, the project’s public partner.

Environmental advocates believe the decision will be harmful and lead to government leaders ignoring environmental concerns in the future.

“Today’s decision undermines decades of legal precedent that told federal agencies to look before they leap when approving projects that could harm communities and the environment,” said Earthjustice Senior Vice President of Program Sam Sankar

A lower court previously ruled that the project’s environmental review did not fully consider the impacts of increased oil production that could occur due to the project.

Governor Spencer Cox released a statement following the ruling:

“The Court rightly recognized that the National Environmental Policy Act is intended to inform agency decision-making — not to paralyze it with speculative analyses of distant, unrelated impacts. This ruling restores clarity and predictability to the permitting process.”

The proposed railway would begin near Castle Gate in Carbon County and follow US-191 northeast toward Duchesne before veering east towards the Green River in Uinta County.