WASHINGTON (CN) - The Supreme Court put a Utah oil railway back on track Thursday, rejecting an expansive environmental review stymieing the project.

Industry projects like the Uinta Basin Railway must be studied and approved under the National Environmental Policy Act. The 88-mile railway was approved by the Surface Transportation Board in 2021, but environmental advocates and Eagle County, Colorado, said that the board's scrutiny was insufficient. 

The Uinta Basin Railway plans to transport waxy crude oil sources from Utah's northeastern mountains to the existing freight rail network. Seven County Infrastructure Coalition, the political subdivision behind the project, estimated that with as many as 10 trains a day, the rail line could transport up to 350,000 barrels of oil out of the basin each day. 

In its 2021 assessment, the board said construction on the line could disturb local waters and wetlands and lead to increased noise for local wildlife. 

Eagle County - which is along the railway's planned route - argued that the board needed to consider how the Uinta Basin Railway would impact oil production by Gulf refineries, leading to increased pollution. 

A D.C. Circuit panel sided with Eagle County and the environmental advocates, ordering a more comprehensive environmental review. During oral arguments at the Supreme Court in December, the justices looked unlikely to agree. 

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Source: Courthouse News Service