2025-05-29
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May 2025 that federal agencies have broad discretion in determining the scope of environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The case involved a proposed 88-mile railroad in Utah, where the Court held that agencies do not need to analyze the environmental effects of separate upstream or downstream projects — such as oil drilling or refining — when reviewing a specific infrastructure project. Courts must give substantial deference to agency decisions about what to include in environmental impact statements, rather than imposing their own judgment about what details are required.
2025-05-29
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May 2025 that federal agencies have broad discretion in determining the scope of environmental reviews required under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The case involved a proposed 88-mile railroad in Utah, where the Court held that agencies do not need to analyze the environmental effects of separate upstream or downstream projects — such as oil drilling or refining — when reviewing a specific infrastructure project. Courts must give substantial deference to agency decisions about what to include in environmental impact statements, rather than imposing their own judgment about what details are required.
2025-02-28
By Josh Farley Seattle Times Opinion columnist An ambitious plan to bring bullet trains to the Pacific Northwest has drawn champions including former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire and Microsoft President Brad Smith. They argue high-speed rail could interconnect the growing regions around Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, B.C., like no other form of transportation can. They
2023-08-17
A proposal to fund a West Coast Bullet Train should be viewed only with cautious optimism by airport communities. When this Washington Democratic Delegation proposal for funding a West Coast Bullet Train showed up, I immediately thought of how unreliable it has been to take AmTrak to Vancouver, BC over the past three decades. But
2023-08-17
A letter dated August 15, 2023, on U.S. Congress letterhead addressed to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg, in which members of Washington's Congressional delegation reaffirm support for the Cascadia High-Speed Rail proposal and urge federal funding for the project connecting Vancouver BC, Seattle, and Portland.
By Mike Lindblom Seattle Times staff reporter In hopes to deliver 250 mph rail service by midcentury, the Democrats in Washington’s congressional delegation are asking the federal government for $198 million to help plan a route between Vancouver, B.C.; Seattle; and Portland. The Cascadia high-speed corridor would be faster than any trains that currently operate
April 27, 2023 SACRAMENTO, Calif. — California approved Thursday a first-in-the-nation, ambitious rule limiting rail pollution to aggressively cut greenhouse gas emissions in the state’s latest move to establish itself as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The rule will ban locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increase
Editor’s Note: George Hamlin fills in for Don Phillips, who will return next month. From their inception prior to the U.S. Civil War until the late 1870s, railroads in this country were not generally subject to interference from the national government. For that matter, the federal government actively promoted and helped finance the construction of
1998-06-11
This catalog log lists three transportation planning documents received in 1991 and accessioned into an archive between 2001 and 2003. The documents cover Puget Sound regional transportation alternatives (the Flight Plan Project), air pollutant contributions at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, and a feasibility study for preserving the Stampede Pass Rail Corridor. Together they represent early 1990s regional planning efforts related to air quality, rail, and transportation policy in the greater Seattle-Tacoma area.
2025-05-29
2025-02-28
2023-08-17
1998-06-11