Washington, DC (May 29, 2025) – In a significant victory for regulatory clarity and infrastructure development, Venable LLP announced today its successful representation of Seven County Infrastructure Coalition and Uinta Basin Railway, LLC before the United States Supreme Court in a pivotal case that reshapes the scope of federal environmental review.
In a ruling that limits the expansive application of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Supreme Court sided with Seven County and UBRY, agreeing that courts should not halt infrastructure projects based on factual questions about the agency’s findings. The Court also emphasized that environmental review should center on the specific project at issue, not potential future projects. The decision reopens the door for the responsible construction of the Uinta Basin Railway, an 88-mile rail line that will connect Utah’s Uinta Basin to the national freight rail network.
Venable’s legal team, which has represented Seven County from the earliest stages of the project, successfully petitioned the Supreme Court for review after the DC Circuit adopted an overly broad reading of NEPA. The Supreme Court’s decision reversing the DC Circuit should streamline future infrastructure approvals and limit unnecessary environmental review.
“This ruling restores much-needed perspective to the federal environmental review process,” said Jay Johnson, partner at Venable LLP. “We are proud to have stood with Seven County in advocating for regulatory certainty and efficient infrastructure development.”
The case marks a pivotal shift in how federal environmental reviews are applied to large-scale infrastructure projects and should influence future regulatory and judicial actions nationwide.
###
Venable LLP is an American Lawyer Global 100 law firm headquartered in Washington, DC that serves as primary counsel to a worldwide clientele of large and mid-sized organizations, nonprofits, high-net-worth entrepreneurs, and other individuals. With more than 900 professionals across the country, in California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, New York, Virginia, and Washington, DC, the firm strategically advances its clients’ objectives in the United States and around the globe. Venable advises clients on a broad range of business and regulatory law, legislative affairs, and complex litigation, and the full range of intellectual property disciplines.