The Surface Transportation Board (STB) will consider Nevada Gold Rail LLC’s (NG Rail) proposal to construct a 55.7-mile rail line in Eureka and Landar counties, Nevada, connecting its affiliate’s mining facilities to an existing Union Pacific (UP) main line.
In a May 22 decision (download below), the STB instituted a proceeding and streamlined the permitting process by waiving “certain requirements based on recent changes to the interpretation and application” of NEPA (the National Environmental Policy Act).
NG Rail, an affiliate of Nevada Gold Mines LLC (NGM), stated that the line would “allow gold ore transportation by rail instead of truck, which would provide a safer, more cost-effective, and environmentally friendly means of transporting gold ore,” according to the STB.
On May 7, NG Rail filed a petition with the STB for line construction, which would include two separate segments: the approximately 35.6-mile Crescent Segment and the approximately 20.1-mile Boulder Segment (download petition below). Both would connect to UP’s main line.
“According to the petition, NGM’s mining operation consists of eight mines in Nevada, along with associated infrastructure and processing facilities,” STB said in its decision. “The Line would connect the Cortez Mine to processing facilities at the Goldstrike Mine and allow NGM to transport gold ore by rail instead of truck … It would also potentially enable NGM to partner with UP to transport gold ore between mines, and to transport other commodities and consumables, such as diesel fuel, lime, and mill balls, directly to NGM’s mine sites … NG Rail states the Line’s construction ‘is necessary to provide a safer, more cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly means of transporting gold ore from the Cortez Mine to NGM’s other facilities,’ and that it is expected to reduce road congestion and air pollutants.” (See maps below.)
NEPA requires that the STB examine the potential environmental impacts of “major federal actions” that it undertakes. The STB in its decision determined that “the preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is appropriate,” and the EIS process for the new NG Rail line will include “meaningful public involvement early in the environmental review and will ensure that the Board considers the potential environmental effects of the line as required under NEPA.” The agency noted that it has requested preliminary comments from appropriate federal, state, Tribal, and local agencies, and it will host public meetings and provide opportunities for “substantive public comment,” along with launching a public project webpage that will be updated throughout the EIS process.
“Congress, Presidential Executive Orders, the Council on Environmental Quality, and the Supreme Court have changed NEPA’s statutory and regulatory framework significantly since the Board last revised its environmental regulations in 1991,” the STB reported. “Based on these recent changes, and to promote a more efficient and streamlined process, the EIS process laid out in today’s decision waives certain requirements in 49 C.F.R. 1105.10(a)(2)-(4) for publication of a Final Scope of Study and a Draft EIS in this proceeding. This process is consistent with the Board’s proposed changes to its environmental regulations in Permitting Reform—Environmental Review Process, EP 779 (STB served Mar. 25, 2026).”
The STB’s Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) will prepare and publish a Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS, which will include detailed information about the planned scope of analysis for the EIS. According to the STB, the Notice of Intent “will be more fulsome than under prior Board EIS process and will serve as an opportunity for interested members of the public to substantively engage earlier in the environmental review process.” The STB added that the Notice of Intent will include a request for public comments on potential environmental effects and on relevant information, studies, or analyses with respect to the new rail line. Following the Notice of Intent and scoping, OEA will then prepare and publish an EIS that will analyze in detail the potential environmental impacts of the line, respond to public comments on the Notice of Intent, and make any appropriate recommendations for environmental mitigation. OEA will also evaluate the potential impacts of the line on historic properties during the EIS process.
“In making its final decision on whether the line should be authorized, and if so, what environmental mitigation conditions to impose, the Board will consider the entire record, including the record on the transportation merits, the NOI [Notice of Intent], the EIS, and all public and agency comments received,” the agency said.