When it comes to seeking Surface Transportation Board (STB) authority for new rail construction, our experience is unrivaled. Venable's team has been instrumental in the environmental and regulatory review of many of the rail projects that have successfully completed STB licensing. When the STB's environmental reviews and regulatory approvals have faced legal challenges from project opponents, Venable's attorneys have joined the STB in defending the agency's decision-making.
Our Rail team has also been involved with numerous rail projects—including both freight rail and high-speed passenger rail—that fall within the primary jurisdiction of other federal agencies, including the Federal Railroad Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Land Management. In all of these cases, we have achieved success for our clients by helping them obtain defensible environmental reviews and regulatory approvals. And, when necessary, we have defended those reviews and approvals in court.
Our experience has involved the management and coordination of reviews under a wide variety of federal and state laws, including the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act, and the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), all of which play a pivotal role in the approval of new rail construction projects.