Month: May 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court backed a multibillion-dollar oil railroad expansion in Utah Thursday in a ruling that scales back a key environmental law for projects around the country.

The 8-0 decision comes after an appeal to the high court from backers of the project, which is aimed at quadrupling oil production in the remote area of sandstone and sagebrush.

Environmental groups said the decision would have sweeping impacts on National Environmental Policy Act reviews. The Trump administration has already said it’s speeding up that process after the president vowed to boost U.S. oil and gas development.

The case centers on the Uinta Basin Railway, a proposed 88-mile (142-kilometer) expansion that would connect oil and gas producers to the broader rail network and allow them to access larger markets. Supporters have argued that streamlining environmental reviews would speed up development.

The justices reversed a lower court decision and restored a critical approval from federal regulators on the Surface Transportation Board. The project could still face additional legal and regulatory hurdles.

Environmental groups and a Colorado county had argued that regulators must consider a broad range of potential impacts when they consider new development, such as increased wildfire risk, the effect of additional crude oil production from the area and increased refining in Gulf states.

The justices, though, found that regulators were right to consider the direct effects of the project, rather than the wider upstream and downstream impact. Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that courts should defer to regulators on “where to draw the line” on what factors to take into account. Four other conservative justices joined his opinion.

“Simply stated, NEPA is a procedural cross-check, not a substantive roadblock,” he wrote of the policy act reviews. “The goal of the law is to inform agency decision making, not to paralyze it.”

The court’s conservative majority court has taken steps to curtail the power of federal regulators in other cases, including striking down the decades-old Chevron doctrine that made it easier for the federal government to set a wide range of regulations.

Justice Sonia Sotomayor agreed with the outcome, but with a narrower legal reasoning. In a decision joined by her two liberal colleagues, she said the court could have simply cleared the way for the railway approval by finding the board didn’t need to take into account any harm caused by the oil that might eventually be carried on the railway.

Justice Neil Gorsuch did not participate in the case after facing calls to step aside over ties to Philip Anschutz, a Colorado billionaire whose ownership of oil wells in the area means he could benefit if the project goes through. Gorsuch, as a lawyer in private practice, had represented Anschutz.

The ruling comes after President Donald Trump’s vow to boost U.S. oil and gas drilling and move away from former President Joe Biden’s focus on climate change. The administration announced last month it’s speeding up environmental reviews of projects required under the same law at the center of the Utah case, compressing a process that typically takes a year or more into just weeks.

“The court’s decision gives agencies a green light to ignore the reasonably foreseeable consequences of their decisions and avoid confronting them,” said Sambhav Sankar, senior vice president of programs at Earthjustice.

Wendy Park, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said opponents would continue to fight the Utah project. “This disastrous decision to undermine our nation’s bedrock environmental law means our air and water will be more polluted, the climate and extinction crises will intensify, and people will be less healthy,” she said.

The project’s public partner applauded the ruling. “It represents a turning point for rural Utah — bringing safer, sustainable, more efficient transportation options, and opening new doors for investment and economic stability,” said Keith Heaton, director of the Seven County Infrastructure Coalition.

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Associated Press writer Hannah Schoenbaum in Salt Lake City contributed to this story.

Former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt has a long list of ways the 2002 Winter Games moved Utah forward, including the rapid rebuilding of I-15, and wants to see the same from the next Olympics.

At an Envision Utah breakfast Wednesday in the University of Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium tower, Leavitt recalled a moment from the finale of the 2002 Closing Ceremonies held there that made it clear the efforts were appreciated.

“The fireworks are going. The music is playing. There’s smoke in the air and it was just fabulous,” he said, describing how a man in front of him suddenly started chanting, “Utah, Utah, Utah,” before turning around and recognizing the governor.

“He was embarrassed,” Leavitt said, but then explained he no longer feared the impact of the Olympics. “He said, ‘Governor, I was against this. And I was wrong.’ That’s really worth remembering. There was a lot of opposition on the same basis. But they were wrong.”

Hosting the 2034 Olympics and the Paralympics that follow for athletes with disabilities, and possibly more in the future, provides a way for Utahns to maintain their quality of life as the state grows, he said.

“We won’t have the quality of life we want without the Games. We can have it using the Games as a catalyst to preserve it,” said Leavitt, who was elected governor three times before serving in former President George W. Bush’s administration.

In 2002, that meant creating an “internal brand” for a state then associated overseas with John Wayne but little else, said Leavitt, now president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square.

The branding intended to put Utah on the map was part of a larger agenda, to make the state both a winter sports and a technology capital. Using the deadline of the Olympics, Leavitt said the state was able to make major transportation and other improvements.

Hosting the 2034 Winter Games offers a chance to do even more, organizing committee CEO Brad Wilson, a former Utah House speaker, assured the audience of community and business leaders.

“I would argue that the 2034 Games, if we do this right, may be the biggest opportunity in Utah’s history,” Wilson declared. “This time we have more runway and we have the ability to engage the entire state.”

The International Olympic Committee voted to give Utah a second Winter Games last year under a new bidding process. That gives organizers, who already have the necessary venues in place, two years more than they had to get ready for 2002.

Wilson said unlike many prior Olympic hosts that have abandoned costly competition venues, the Utah Olympic Legacy Foundation has been a “much better steward” of the taxpayer dollars initially invested in the sliding track, ski jumps and speedskating oval.

While those and other Olympic venues will need to be “spruced up” before 2034, he said the Games can serve as a motivator to get Utahns to “do the right thing” when it comes to issues such as saving the Great Salt Lake and improving air quality.

“There are some risks we need to lean into and be willing to take,” Wilson said, adding that Utahns should be able to look back at the lead-up to 2034 and say the community involvement “paid off big time.”

Last week, organizers began a “listening tour” to find out what that involvement should look like. The private meetings, which started in Ogden, are expected to eventually be held throughout the state.

Wilson said the job of the organizing committee is “executing the Games and doing it flawlessly,” something that will require 25,000 volunteers. They’re set to be selected in 2033, he said, with preference given to those who’ve shown “a commitment to making our community better.”

Envision Utah interim CEO Jason Brown said the nonprofit organization focused on planning for the state’s growth can play a role in a second “era of transformation,” helping to determine what progress can be made on priorities like housing, transportation, water and education.

Growing up, he said having an Olympics in Utah made him feel like he lived in “the coolest place in the world.”

When the Olympics return in 2034, “it’s going to be a great time. I’m really excited for the Games themselves,” Brown said. “But what I really hope we don’t miss is this opportunity, this excuse, this chance and reason to make Utah everything that we really hope that Utah can be.”

The Utah Mammoth are bringing over two of their top prospects from Russia in time for next season, signing defenseman Dmitri Simashev and forward Daniil But to three-year entry-level contracts.

General manager Bill Armstrong announced the deals Wednesday, the latest bit of good news for the club that just got its full-time name and is going into its second season in Salt Lake City.

Simashev was the sixth pick in 2023 and But was taken 12th in that same draft when the team was known as the Arizona Coyotes. Each of the 20-year-olds spent this past season in the KHL.

“After we drafted them, we knew there was a long process before the day we would actually sign them,” Armstrong said on a video call with reporters. “There was a lot of work behind the scenes to get it done.”

Simashev and But were teammates for Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, helping the club win the Gagarin Cup for the first time in franchise history. Getting them signed means they could play with Utah in the NHL or Tucson of the American Hockey League next season.

“You never want to rule (the AHL) out, but these guys have played at elite level over in Russia and played for one of the top teams and they experienced a high-pressure culture where they play, so there’s a good opportunity that they might not ever touch the American League,” Armstrong said, acknowledging there will be a transition period. “I believe both of them will come into camp and will have a good opportunity to compete for a job, and I think they’ll be close to making it.”

Armstrong called the 6-foot-5, 207-pound Simashev the biggest defenseman he has drafted with this good of mobility.

“He can cover ground,” Armstrong said. “He’s one of the best skaters. He works at his game. He’s extremely good on the D side of the puck, and there’s some room for him to grow offensively obviously, too, to put into play with his skating.”

But, even bigger at 6-foot-6 and 216 pounds, reminds Armstrong of Buffalo forward Tage Thompson and similar-sized players who took a little longer to adjust to North American rinks that are 15 feet narrower than those in Europe.

“He’s a massive human being, and he’s learning to use his body more effectively and it takes a while when you’re that big to put the strength on to compete against men,” Armstrong said. “He plays a North American-style game. He’s extremely aggressive cutting into the net and occupying the front of the net with elite stick skills.”

It was a key step just getting them to North America to fit in with a young core led by captain Clayton Keller, forward Logan Cooley, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and goaltender Karel Vejmelka. Sergachev and veterans Ian Cole and Olli Maatta have each won the Stanley Cup multiple times, Keller and Cooley are coming off leading the U.S. to gold at the world championships and Simashev and But are also KHL champions.

“It’s something that I love to see in our young players, the winning and the championships,” Armstrong said. “If you just continue to bring in winners, it’s going to translate into our club winning. But we’ve got to make the playoffs first. That’s a huge thing.”

With the salary cap going up, Armstrong has more than $21 million in room to use in free agency and trades to take the Mammoth to the next level and end the organization’s playoff drought of 12 years — excluding the expanded format in the bubble in 2020. They won the second draft lottery drawing to move up from picking 14th to fourth, giving the front office the chance to add another player with elite talent for the future.

EL CAJON (KUSI)- Tristan Diaz is a junior at Granite Hills High School, a young man that has won three CIF football titles and most recently added the first lacrosse title in school history. Also, in the fold not only does he now have four total cif titles in two sports he also is going to play division one lacrosse at the University of Utah.

“Utah reached out over the summer, and after going on a few visits to other schools I went over to Utah to go check it out with my dad that place was amazing. The campus alone was the best I’ve ever seen.” Its a great atmosphere to be in and that played a big effect in my decision.” Diaz said.

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“For lacrosse its a lot more fast paced, going on the fly as far as substituting and just thinking on the fly as well. In football you have brakes, in lacrosse your always moving. What also was cool just seeing that environment and how Utah just stands out from other schools. It was really nice to make my decision early and thankfully I had enough choices to have that opportunity it gives me less stress with all the colleges reaching out and everything.”

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For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to FOX 5 San Diego & KUSI News.

Given the runaway inflation of track and field performances lately, it’s insanely difficult to qualify for the NCAA outdoor track championships, or, for that matter, the NCAA Prelims.

The top 48 athletes in the country – based on season performances – qualify for the preliminary meet. The slowest time in the 100-meter dash field is 10.29; the slowest time in the 1,500 is 3:37.52 – the equivalent of a 3:54.9 mile.

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Given that, it’s worth noting that this year marks the tenth time that BYU has qualified more than 50 athletes (male and female combined) for this weekend’s NCAA West Preliminary track and field meet in College Station, Texas (The East prelims will be held in Jacksonville, Fla.).

Utah State has 21 qualifiers; Utah Valley, 15 qualifiers.

The men will compete Wednesday and Friday, the women Thursday and Saturday.

The top 12 in each event at both regional sites will advance to the NCAA Outdoor Championships, which will be held June 11-14 in Eugene, Oregon.

Four Utah collegians are threats to win an individual national championship – BYU’s Meghan Hunter, Lexy Lowry and James Corrigan and Utah State’s Logan Hammer.

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Hunter, a converted sprinter from Provo High who holds the all-classification high school 400-meter state record of 52.59, laid down a 1:58.99 time to win the 800-meter run at the Big 12 Conference championships two weeks ago. It makes her the third fastest collegian ever.

The 800 is one of the most competitive races in the country this year. It will include LSU’s Michaela Rose and Stanford Olympian Juliette Whittaker, winners of the last two NCAA championships, as well as Stanford’s Roisin Willis, a former NCAA indoor champ. Rose is the second fastest collegian ever.

Lowry, a senior from Meridian, Idaho, has the nation’s second fastest time in the 5,000 and the third fastest time in the steeplechase. She broke the BYU school record at 5,000 meters held by Olympian Whittni Morgan, taking it from 15:12.90 to 14:52.93. Lowry ranks fifth on the alltime collegiate list in both the 5,000 and the steeplechase.

Corrigan, who represented the U.S. in last summer’s Paris Olympics, might give up his collegiate eligibility at the end of the season to sign a professional contract.

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“It depends how well he runs at NCAAs and USAs,” says BYU coach Ed Eyestone. “As well as he is running now, I would say yes.”

A junior, Corrigan has the nation’s third fastest time in the steeplechase – 8:22.20. A year ago Corrigan ran 8:13.87, which easily eclipsed the American collegiate record of 8:16.23, but it doesn’t count because it wasn’t in a collegiate competition. In his most recent outing, Corrigan, who finished third in last summer’s U.S. Olympic trials, won both the steeplechase and the 5,000 in meet-record times at the Big 12 Conference championships.

Hammer, a junior from Nampa, Idaho, ranks second in the nation in the pole vault with a school-record clearance of 18-8 ¼. Teammates Javin Richards and Marshall Rasmussen (17-4 ½, 17-0 ¼) also have qualified for the prelims.

Utah collegians are strongest, as usual, in the distance and middle-distance events. They have a combined total of 29 athletes ranked in the top 25 of the 800, 1,500, 3,000 steeplechase, 5,000 and 10,000.

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One of them is Riley Chamberlain, BYU’s 5-foot-10 junior who can cover a wide range of distances. In the national rankings, she is ninth in the 800, 17th in the 1,500 and 12th in the 5,000.

BYU’s Tyler Mathews and Tessa Buswell, who were in high school a year ago, have had brilliant freshman seasons. Both rank in the top 20 in the 800. Mathews is already the second fastest 800-meter runner in BYU history, with a time of 1:46.19; Buswell ranks eighth with a time of 2:02.26 in an event in which BYU has excelled for years.

Sami Oblad, a converted heptathlete from Stansbury Park, is wrapping up an impressive senior season. She ranks sixth in the nation in the 400-metre dash with a time of 50.49, by the far the fastest ever at BYU.

Carlee Hansen, a senior from Woods Cross who transferred to BYU from North Carolina in 2023, covered 1,500 meters in 4:08.70 en route to a second-place finish at the Big 12 Conference championships, a 2 ½-second improvement over her best time. She fell just short of the school record of 4:08.53 set by Anna Camp in winning the 2021 NCAA championships.

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Utah Valley’s Quincy Bonds, who ranks 20th nationally in the 100-meter hurdles, is one of four sisters who are outstanding all-around athletes. Quincy competed for the University of Arizona soccer team for three years before transferring to UVU to compete in both soccer and track. Tiana was a pentathlete for the University of Arizona. Talie was a first-team All-American in the 100-meter hurdles at Arizona. Zoey, a junior at BYU, became the eighth fastest 100-meter hurdler in school history this season with a time of 13.52. She also competes in the heptathlon.

BYU will be without All-American Casey Clinger, who signed a professional contract with Brooks this season and thus is ineligible for collegiate competition. Before leaving BYU, he broke a 40-year-old school record in the 10,000-meter run set by Eyestone, his coach. Clinger posted a time of 27:11.00; Eyestone’s mark was 27:41.05.

Here’s a list of Utah collegians who rank among the top 25 in their events.

100 meters

#25 Gabe Remy, UVU (10.09)

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200 meters

#20 Gabe Remy, UVU (20.41)

400 meters

#18 Eli Hazlett, BYU (45.35)

#6 Sami Oblad, BYU (50.49)

800 meters

#17 Tyler Mathews, BYU (1:46.19)

#2 Meghan Hunter, BYU (1:58.99)

#9 Riley Chamberlain, BYU (2:01.42)

#20 Tessa Buswell, BYU (2:02.66)

1,500 meters

#23 Carter Cutting BYU (3:37.31)

#14 Carlee Hansen, BYU (4:08.70)

#15 Lexy Lowry, BYU (4:08.89)

#17 Riley Chamberlain, BYU (4:09.49)

#23 Erin Vringer, Utah (4:10.23)

5,000 meters

#13 James Corrigan BYU (13:25.46)

#16 Joey Nokes, BYU (13:27.89)

#23 Creed Thompson, BYU (13:29.22)

#2 Lexy Lowry, BYU (14:52.93)

#8 Jenna Hutchins, BYU (15:16.95)

#12 Riley Chamberlain, BYU (15:23.88)

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10,000 meters

#18 Mohamed Guled, UVU (27:58.41)

#22 Joey Nokes, BYU (28:06.44)

#24 Todd Camren, USU (28:10.91)

#11 Jenna Hutchins, BYU (32:22.98)

#16 Morgan Jensen, Utah (32:33.52)

3,000m steeplechase

#3 James Corrigan, BYU (8:22.20)

#9 Isaac Hedengren, BYU (8:30.01)

#14 Landon heemeyer, BYU (8:33.50)

#15 Logan Garnica, USU (8:33.91)

#18 Peter Visser, WSU (8:35.98)

#23 Abdulsalam Farah, UVU (8:40.47)

#3 Lexy Lowry, BYU (9:18.05)

#9 Taylor Lovell, BYU (9:46.86)

#10 Shelby Jensen, USU (9:48.44)

100 hurdles

#20 Quincy Bonds, UVU (13.07)

4×400 relay

#12 Hazlett-Taylor-Heimuli-Jackson, BYU (3:03.05)

Pole vault

#2 Logan Hammer, USU (18-8 ¼ )

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High jump

#16 Aija Hughes, SUU (6-0)

Shot put

#13 Danny Bryant, BYU (65-1.25)

#17 Gretchen Hoekstre, BYU (57-3.5)

Discus

#25 Gretchen Hoekstre, BYU (184-6)

Javelin

#8 Kelsi Oldroyd, UVU (186-11)

#13 Jea Genet, BYU (179-2)

Decathlon

#4 Jaden Roskelley, BYU (8,000)

#9 Ben Barton, BYU (7865)

Newly appointed Utah Tech University President Shane Smeed’s first day on the job — May 1 — happened on the same day as the school’s annual graduation ceremony.

“So my very first day was a commencement — and on my second day, we had three additional commencement ceremonies,” Smeed recently told the Deseret News editorial board.

“So within the first 48 hours of me serving as president, we had the fortunate opportunity to be able to celebrate some of the most exciting days in the lives of our students and their families.”

Smeed’s enthusiasm to be sharing his personal achievements with those of the UTU student body, simultaneously, seems apropos at a moment of historic change — both within the UTU community and across Utah’s higher education system.

Perhaps none of the state’s degree-granting public institutions has experienced the level of growth in recent years as UTU.

During the 2000s, the school originally known as the St. George Stake Academy went from being Dixie State College to Dixie State University and now, since 2022, Utah Tech University.

Even the school mascot has evolved: Rebels to Red Storm to Trailblazers.

Meanwhile, UTU’s enrollment has grown every year since 2013, increasing by almost 60% to over 13,000 students today. Of the school’s 304 academic programs, 60% have been developed within the past seven years.

One reason why UTU has become a popular higher ed destination for many Utahns — 82% are in-state students — is obvious: It’s the most affordable university in the state.

But the school’s 19th president believes UTU’s opportunities extend beyond affordability and program growth.

While some in Utah’s public higher education system view recent legislation demanding budget reallocations as a hostile act against traditional learning, Smeed sees opportunities.

HB265, he counters, “allows us to reinvest money in the places where we think can be impactful — not only in (students’) educational experience, but also in the workforce and preparing them to meet workforce needs and its requirements.”

Additionally, Smeed is anxious to reconnect with members of the UTU community who may have separated themselves from the school. UTU, he said, is their asset.

“It’s an asset for the state. It’s an asset for the community and (Washington County). I see my role as president as every bit ‘externally facing’ as internal — so it’s a great opportunity.”

Prior to Smeed’s hiring, UTU was without a president for over a year after President Richard “Biff” Williams stepped down from the position. Williams, who now serves as president of Missouri State University, was included as a defendant in an ongoing lawsuit alleging Title IX violations in the wake of a vulgar prank.

When asked if those divisive investigations have harmed UTU’s reputation, Smeed said his new job offers him the opportunity to be “a spokesperson for the university” going forward.

“Reputationally, our community will see that our students are probably the best representation of who we are as a university.”

UTU’s polytechnic mission: Preparing grads for the workforce

A Utah native, Smeed served for almost four years as the president of Missouri’s Park University, where he championed education/workforce readiness and expanding the Park campus for military-affiliated students.

He and his wife, Angela, are the parents of three children.

Smeed presided over Park University while also serving as the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Platte City Missouri Stake.

While going through the UTU job application process and meeting with Utah’s higher education leaders and members of the Washington County community, “I realized that this was a special place,” he said.

“I was born in Provo, Utah — so this was a great opportunity for me to come back to my home state.”

As an academic, Smeed said he was drawn to UTU’s polytechnic mission. “I believe that it most readily prepares our graduates to meet the workforce needs.”

So why should Utah students choose to attend UTU?

The Beehive State offers a variety of colleges and universities, both public and private, that are relatively affordable and boast a wide range of academic programs.

Smeed is confident that UTU — an open-enrollment institution — is a campus where Utahns can thrive academically, while saving a few bucks at the state’s most affordable university.

“There’s been a big question about whether or not the value of higher education is still there today — but the facts show that a person with a college degree will earn $1.2 million (over one’s lifetime) more than one with just a high school diploma,” he said.

“So if you’re from Washington County, you can expect to make $20,000 more annually than someone who only has a high school diploma.”

Smeed also highlights UTU’s campus growth over the past decade that has transformed the campus. He’s committed to building relationships with the philanthropic community to raise funds and secure scholarships.

Such efforts, said Smeed, will allow UTU students “to graduate with less debt, or no debt, by the time they’re finishing their education — especially for those that are looking for opportunities with internships.

“And then they’re ready to hit the job force and really help with workforce development.”

Historic campus growth; evolving higher ed priorities

Smeed noted that UTU is evolving in real-time even as Washington County’s population booms.

A new performing arts center and a general classroom building are under construction on campus — and a new residence hall was recently completed.

Expect such growth markers and physical footprints to increase in the coming years, he said.

“The growth that’s happening in St. George in Washington County is a tremendous opportunity for us to attract more students from Washington County and within the state,” Smeed said, noting that more than half of the school’s students come from inside the county.

While some have been alarmed by the budget reallocation demands placed on Utah’s public colleges and universities by HB265, Smeed sees the new legislation as an opportunity to better educate and prepare students.

The state-mandated reallocations happening at Utah campuses should not be viewed as cuts — but, rather, reinvestments that will serve graduates well in the coming decades.

“Through our reinvestment plan, we’re looking to add approximately a dozen additional faculty lines to our university.”

UTU’s new president says he is already focused on building relationships with his new faculty.

“My commitment to them is to listen to their concerns and opportunities,” he said. “They’ll see me as a strategic partner — one that can understand the needs of the faculty but can also understand the broader needs of the university.

“My actions will speak louder than my words.”

Smeed is also reassuring UTU students that liberal arts studies and the humanities “aren’t going anywhere.”

Still, there might be opportunities to examine traditional programs and decide if there are ways to incorporate, say, new technologies to make them more applicable for today’s job market.

Smeed’s guiding administrative question: “How can we more strategically place some of those programs in a position where students can graduate, find gainful employment and be able to meet workforce needs, now and then throughout the 21st century?”

‘Trailblazer Nation’: UTU’s athletic future

Varsity sports at UTU made a historic leap last year to NCAA Division I competition.

Most of the Trailblazer teams are competing in the Western Athletic Conference, while the gridiron program is part of the Football Championship Subdivision.

College sports, of course, have undergone historic disruptions in recent years with the emergence of NIL and the transfer portal for athletes.

Given those recent changes, it will take “a bit of time” to build up the school’s athletic program to where it wants to be, said Smeed.

But UTU students and fans can still expect to support competitive teams. Everybody loves a winner.

“So we’re only going to continue to put investment into our athletic programs,” said Smeed.

“We can’t rely on student-athletes to come here without some level of incentive, and so fundraising is a big part of my role as president of the university to find ways to connect with the community, connect with corporate partners and the business community alike, and find ways where they’re interested in supporting athletics.”

UTU’s goal, he added, is to “fill the stadium and fill the arena.”