Rail News – U.S. Supreme Court to review Utah crude-by-rail case. For professionals in the railway sector

The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider reinstating approval of a rail project that would transport crude oil and support fossil fuel production in eastern Utah, PBS reported.

The railroad would connect oil and gas producers in rural Utah to the broader rail network.

An earlier Court of Appeals ruling overturned the Surface Transportation Board’s (STB) approval issued for the Uinta Basin Railroad, saying the STB’s environmental approval was rushed and violated federal law, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The type of oil to be exported from Utah is a semi-solid, room temperature, waxy crude that is more difficult to move. Currently, it must be heated and shipped in insulated trucks.

The arguments before the Supreme Court are expected to take place in the fall.