Washington, DC – ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer released the following statement today on the Supreme Court’s unanimous decision in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County:
“Today’s decision addressing the scope of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for a Utah railway project marks a long-overdue return to common sense. For years, NEPA has been weaponized to delay or block vital infrastructure initiatives—energy projects, pipelines, railways, roads, and more—rather than functioning as the procedural safeguard it was intended to be.
“NEPA was never intended to serve as a substantive barrier, but as a means to ensure agencies make informed decisions. By reaffirming that environmental reviews must focus on direct, foreseeable impacts within the approving agency’s jurisdiction, the Court has restored much-needed clarity, discipline, and predictability to the permitting process.
“We continue to urge Congress to enact necessary reforms to our nation’s broken and dysfunctional permitting system.”
