Last-Ditch Rail Fight Hinges on Landmark Environmental Law
08/01/2011
Flickr: jdnx
The Oahu residents fighting to halt Honolulu's planned rail line are largely relying on the National Environmental Policy Act to help them do it. Federal records show that the act has successfully stopped a wide range of projects in recent years.
In April, a group of Honolulu residents sued the city, state and federal officials in an attempt to stop the $5.3 billion project from being built.
The landmark act widely known as NEPA was established in the late 1960s to outline specific environmental guidelines for government projects. For any project receiving federal monies, the act requires agencies to assess the environmental impact of the work they plan to do.
In litigation over a recent nine-year period, NEPA was used to stop nearly 100 projects. In 2009, the most recent year for which data is available, federal records show that 97 NEPA-related cases were filed, with hundreds more pending from previous years. Fifteen projects were permanently halted in 2009, with two others temporarily stopped.
