Supreme Court sharply limits environmental impact statements in victory for developers

The Supreme Court on Thursday sharply limited the reach of environmental impact statements in a victory for developers. The court’s decision is intended to remind lower courts that that’s not what NEPA provides for. Agency officials said they haven’t yet had a chance to study the Supreme Court’s decision, and so it is unclear what the ruling’s effect will be, if any. Seven counties that favored the development appealed to the Supreme Court and argued that the potential environmental impact should be limited to the building of the railroad itself. “The board did not need to evaluate potential environmental impacts of the separate upstream and downstream projects,” he said.