In an 8-0 ruling Thursday, the high court determined reviews conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) do not need to consider certain upstream or downstream impacts of an infrastructure project.
NEPA requires the government to consider the impacts of proposed infrastructure projects, ranging from highways to pipelines.
At issue in the case was a federal government’s assessment of a proposed railway line to ship oil in Utah.
A lower court ruled the government’s review was inadequate because it did not fully consider the impacts of increased oil production and refining that could occur as a result of the railway project. The majority opinion, written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, disagreed.
“When the effects of an agency action arise from a separate project—for example, a possible future project or one that is geographically distinct from the project at hand—NEPA does not require the agency to evaluate the effects of that separate project,” he wrote.
The opinion also reins in the power of federal courts to block projects along similar grounds.
“NEPA does not allow courts, ‘under the guise of judicial review’ of agency compliance with NEPA, to delay or block agency projects based on the environmental effects of other projects separate from the project at hand,” it said.
Kavanaugh was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Amy Coney Barrett.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote a separate, concurring opinion joined by Justices Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson. Justice Neil Gorsuch recused himself from the case.
Read more at TheHill.com.
Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.
22 young Americans sue Trump on climate actions: ‘A death sentence for my generation’
Full StoryOutgoing administration adviser Elon Musk is criticizing Republicans’ signature policy bill to advance President Trump’s agenda as the he walks out the door, saying it moves too quickly to phase out Biden-era low-carbon energy tax credits.
Saharan dust plume heading for Florida: Here’s what to know
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
Forced to relocate by climate change, Alaskan villagers found a new crisis (The Washington Post/KYUK/ProPublica)
Controversial Constitution Pipeline Project in New York Is About to Be Revived (The Wall Street Journal)
Sexual exploitation and domestic violence soared after Lahaina wildfire, report finds (The Guardian)
Two key stories on The Hill right now:
Second federal court blocks Trump’s tariffs
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Supreme Court narrows NEPA )
Also on site :