The Supreme Court's recent decision limits environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) for major infrastructure projects, potentially speeding up approvals for highways and pipelines. Authored by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the ruling aligns both conservative and liberal justices and aims to reduce bureaucratic hurdles that hinder agency decision-making. The court emphasized NEPA's role as a procedural, rather than substantive, limitation, intended to guide decisions rather than obstruct them. This ruling continues a trend of the conservative court moving away from stringent environmental regulations, reflecting political pressures and industrial interests.
Kavanaugh explained that the environmental issue regarding the railway project was clear-cut, allowing courts not to micromanage agency decisions as long as they are rational.
Justice Sotomayor, representing the court's liberal justices, emphasized that environmental reviews should be timely but also effective in assessing ecological impacts.
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