Court ruling clears way for Point Mac rail work to continue

MAT-SU — Though the war isn’t over, the Mat-Su Borough and the railroad have won another court battle with environmental groups.

According to a borough press release issued Wednesday, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco shot down an appeal of an Anchorage federal judge’s ruling.

The ruling had gone against Cook Inletkeeper, the Sierra Club and Alaska Survival, who were seeking to halt the project to bring rail service to Point MacKenzie while their challenge to one of its permits made its way through court.

Stopping the 32-mile rail link’s construction “does not appear to be in the best interest of the public,” federal district court judge Ralph Beistline wrote in the appealed decision.

His ruling on the environmental groups’ request for an injunction is by no means the final word in the lawsuit, which continues in Anchorage and revolves around a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers permit allowing the borough to fill in wetlands.

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.