AAF/Brightline Opponents File Federal Suit to Stop USDOT's 'Illegal' Rail Decisions

By: Sunshine State News

Indian River County, Martin County and Citizens Against Rail Expansion in Florida (CARE FL) filed a joint complaint in Washington, D.C. Tuesday afternoon against the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, according to spokespersons for the counties and CARE FL.

The complaint demonstrates that federal officials ignored or failed to consider the environmental, public safety, maritime and environmental impacts the All Aboard Florida (AAF) rail project will have on Treasure Coast communities.

Instead of directly addressing those concerns and directing that they be appropriately resolved in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision (ROD), USDOT/FRA instead acted as the project’s supporter, deferring to AAF’s needs and wishes in violation of law. The counties and CARE FL demonstrate how those actions are contrary to, and violate, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)…