Nancy Churchill argues that recent Supreme Court and federal permitting reforms could revitalize rural Washington’s timber and mining communities.

Nancy Churchill writes that entire communities that once made a living in timber and mining have been left behind

Nancy Churchill
Dangerous Rhetoric

For years now, rural Washington has been hit hard — not by a lack of grit or opportunity, but by out-of-touch regulations and endless lawsuits pushed by activist groups. Entire communities that once made a living in timber and mining have been left behind. Not because the resources disappeared, but because the federal government tied our hands with rules that ignored reality and punished rural livelihoods.

But that might finally be changing.

In back-to-back moves last week, the U.S. Supreme Court and President Trump delivered a dose of long-overdue common sense. On May 28, the Court issued a unanimous ruling in Seven County Infrastructure Coalition v. Eagle County, reining in the misuse of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Then, the very next day, Trump’s team rolled out a new Permitting Technology Action Plan aimed at cutting through the red tape that’s choked infrastructure and energy projects for decades.

Taken together, these decisions could open the door for a much-needed comeback in Washington’s timber and mining industries — and give rural families a real chance to thrive again.

Supreme Court gets it right: NEPA is a tool, not a weapon

The Supreme Court ruling restores NEPA to what it was meant to be — a reasonable review, not a blank check for obstruction. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the Court, made it clear: agencies must review the direct environmental impact of a project — not every hypothetical, far-off outcome that opponents can dream up.

The case involved the Uinta Basin Railway in Utah, where environmental groups sued to stop a project by arguing the government’s NEPA review should’ve considered carbon emissions from oil that might be burned someday, somewhere else. The lower court sided with the environmental groups, but thankfully the Supreme Court didn’t.

This matters here at home. In Washington, we’ve seen timber mills stalled, access roads blocked, and mineral projects killed off — not because they’re dangerous, but because NEPA reviews have been hijacked to serve a political agenda. This ruling puts a stop to that kind of abuse and brings some sanity back to the permitting process.

A local example: Courts ignoring tribes and common sense

If you want proof that environmental lawsuits are out of control, look no further than the Sanpoil Project on the Colville National Forest. Cody Desautel, representing the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, testified before Congress this month about what happened when the tribe worked in good faith with the Forest Service to fix overgrown, diseased timber stands near their ancestral lands.

Years of fire suppression and lack of management had left the forest vulnerable to catastrophic wildfire. So the Colville Tribes stepped up. They partnered with the Forest Service through a Tribal Forest Protection Act (TFPA) agreement. The goal was simple: reduce fire risk and restore forest health.

But in June 2023, an environmental group sued — and a federal judge in Eastern Washington blocked the project. The court never even mentioned the tribe or the agreement.

As Desautel testified: “Even when tribes and the Forest Service agree on what’s right for the land, a federal court can stop years of collaboration and analysis, simply based on technicalities.”

This isn’t an isolated case. It’s the kind of gridlock that rural communities have been fighting for decades. And it’s exactly why the Supreme Court ruling and Trump’s permitting reform are so badly needed.

Trump’s Plan: Cutting red tape, restoring opportunity

President Trump’s Permitting Technology Action Plan is the next piece of the puzzle. It’s designed to speed up and simplify how federal permits get issued — something rural communities have begged for.

Instead of waiting years for overlapping reviews and duplicate paperwork, the plan moves toward a modern, transparent system. It pushes federal agencies to coordinate better, set real timelines, and clear the way for energy, infrastructure, and industrial projects that create jobs and bring in revenue.

Katherine Scarlett, chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality said “Through interagency coordination, this administration has taken bold action to streamline the NEPA process and get America back to building infrastructure projects of all kinds.”

America’s prosperity depends on energy independence and domestic industry. That starts with efficient, transparent permitting — free from the chokehold of bureaucratic inertia.

For Washington state, this means fewer delays and a clearer path forward for our logging operations, mining projects, and infrastructure upgrades. It means the local economy can start working again.

What’s at stake for Washington

Washington state is home to significant deposits of critical minerals like gold, silver, zinc, lead, uranium, molybdenum and copper. Our forests, long a source of renewable timber, are at risk of burning because they’re no longer being managed the way they once were. That’s not sustainable — for the land or the communities that rely on it.

Counties like Ferry, Stevens, and Pend Oreille have been left hanging by both federal policies and environmental lawsuits. These are places where the economy used to be built on timber, mining, and self-reliance. Now, job losses, out-migration, and rising poverty are the norm.

This doesn’t have to continue. With the Supreme Court ruling and Trump’s action plan, the tools are in place. Local leaders should move quickly to revive shelved projects, and lawmakers in Olympia — especially those from outside the I-5 corridor—need to push hard for quicker state-level coordination.

Responsible use, not reckless abuse

Let’s make one thing clear: no one’s arguing against protecting the environment. But protecting it doesn’t mean freezing it in time. It means managing it responsibly — like our grandparents did, using what God gave us while making sure it’s still there for the next generation.

Modern forestry and mining practices already follow strict environmental standards. Washington’s Department of Natural Resources requires comprehensive forest practices permits, replanting, and erosion control. It’s time for federal processes to catch up. It’s possible to have both prosperity and healthy environments.

Time for action

Rural Washington has waited long enough. The Court has done its job. The Trump administration is moving. The only question now is whether Olympia is listening — or if they’ll keep siding with activists instead of their own citizens.

The message is clear. It’s time to get our communities working again. Our future depends on it.

Nancy Churchill is a writer and educator in rural eastern Washington state, and is the chair of the Ferry County Republican Party. She may be reached at DangerousRhetoric@pm.me. The opinions expressed in Dangerous Rhetoric are her own. Dangerous Rhetoric is available on thinkspot, Rumble and Substack.

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