By Niina H. Farah, Energywire, E&E News
The Supreme Court is asking the Trump administration to weigh in on a legal dispute over a proposed coal export terminal in Washington state.
In a short order issued yesterday, the justices asked acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall to submit a brief in a case challenging Washington’s decision to deny a water quality permit for the Millennium Bulk Terminals project.
Wyoming and Montana filed a motion asking the Supreme Court to review the Evergreen State’s denial of project developer Lighthouse Resources Inc.’s application for certification under Section 401 of the Clean Water Act. The high court has original jurisdiction in some cases, including disputes between states.
The coal-rich states argued that Washington’s decision to block the terminal from moving forward denies them access to Asian markets and prevents the Trump administration from establishing a unified coal export policy.
Washington state officials have defended the decision to reject the water permit approval, saying the project would cause “unavoidable and significant adverse environmental impacts” (Energywire, June 10).
Reprinted from Energywire with the permission of E&E News. Copyright 2020. E&E News provides essential news for energy and environment professionals at www.eenews.net.
