Mid-States Coalition for Progress v. Surface Transportation Board
United States Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit
345 F.3d 520 (2003)
- Written by Eric Miller, JD
Facts
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) (defendant), a federal agency, approved a proposal from the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern Railroad Corporation (DM&E) to construct a new rail line and upgrade existing rail lines to reach coal mines in Wyoming. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the STB prepared an environmental-impact statement (EIS). The Mid-States Coalition for Progress (the coalition), which represented the interests of various landowners who were opposed to the DM&E’s plans for expansion, petitioned the United States Court of Appeals for the Eight Circuit for review of the EIS, arguing that it failed to sufficiently address the long-term effects of the increased availability of coal that would result from the rail expansion. DM&E filed a brief in which it argued that, even if an increased supply of coal were to drive the construction of new power plants, the location of those power plants was not yet known and therefore could not be addressed.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Arnold, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
