The Supreme Court has narrowed the scope of environmental reviews for major infrastructure projects, making it easier to approve highways, airports, pipelines, and railways. In a unanimous ruling written by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court said agencies should only assess environmental impacts within their direct authority, calling NEPA a “procedural cross-check, not a substantive roadblock.”
The case focused on an 88-mile Utah railway to transport crude oil, with environmentalists arguing the review should have included downstream refining impacts. Both the Biden and Trump administrations backed the limited review, and the decision marks another setback for environmental advocates who warn it could have broad consequences for public health and climate protections.
