The U.S. Supreme Court decision on the Uinta Basin Railway proposal in Utah published Thursday was a consequential ruling when it comes to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA, narrowing the scope of the legislation and giving federal agencies more room to conduct their own analysis with more limited interference from courts. But it did not approve the controversial 88-mile railroad that supporters argue will drive economic growth in rural Utah by connecting the Uinta Basin’s oil field with the national rail network. And the high court did not address the concerns of Eagle County, which sued to reverse the Surface Transportation Board’s 2021 approval of the railroad, arguing the agency did not adequately consider the risk to communities and the Colorado River with increased tanker traffic on riverside tracks. … The arguments before the Supreme Court centered on NEPA, not Eagle County’s concerns. 

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