Plaintiffs Friends of the Eel River and Californians for Alternatives to Toxics are currently seeking California Supreme Court review of the First District Court of Appeal’s recent opinion in Friends of the Eel River v. North Coast Railroad Authority (2014) 230 Cal.App.4th 85. Plaintiffs filed their petition for review with the Supreme Court on November 7, 2014. In Friends of the Eel River v. North Coast Railroad Authority, the First District upheld the trial court’s decision rejecting plaintiffs’ challenge to North Coast Railroad Authority’s certification of an EIR. The appellate court found that the federal Interstate Commerce Commission Termination Act preempted the local agency’s CEQA review of rail operations, which fell within the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal Surface Transportation Board. The court also held that the rail line’s previous agreement with Caltrans to prepare an EIR for the project did not estop the line from later asserting preemption. At the earliest, the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to grant certification by early January 2015.