A showdown over the reach of environmental reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act is set for December before the U.S. Supreme Court.  At the center of the showdown is the 88-mile Uinta Basin Railway, which intends to connect oil fields in northeastern Utah to the national rail network so far-flung refineries can access the Uinta Basin’s waxy crude. The Surface Transportation Board in 2021 approved the railroad after conducting a two-year, 1,700-page Environmental Impact Statement review under the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA.  The railroad would direct an additional 5 billion gallons of Uinta Basin crude in 2-mile long trains along tracks along the Colorado River from Grand Junction to Winter Park and then through metro Denver en route to refineries on the Gulf Coast. The project has stirred vehement opposition among environmental groups, politicians and communities along the railroad, with concerns focused on spills and wildfires.