Sierra Club v. Sevier Power Co

In Sierra Club v. Sevier Power Co., 2006 UT 74, 148 P.3d 960 ,the Court clarified that there are "two means by which a party can establish standing" before the courts of this state. Id. The traditional test requires the petitioning party to establish a "distinct and palpable injury." Id. However, if the petitioning party does not have standing under the traditional test, that party may still have standing if it can demonstrate that it is an appropriate party asserting a matter of great public importance. Id. The Court held that under the traditional test for standing, the party must allege that it has suffered or will "'suffer some distinct and palpable injury that gives it a personal stake in the outcome of the legal dispute.'" "When determining whether a party has suffered a distinct and palpable injury, we engage in a three-step inquiry." See id. First, the petitioning party must claim that it "has been or will be 'adversely affected by the challenged actions.'" Id. Second, the party must "allege a causal relationship 'between the injury to the party, the challenged actions and the relief requested.'" Id. Third, the requested relief must be "'substantially likely to redress the injury claimed.'" Id. "If the party can satisfy these three criteria, it has standing to pursue its claims before the courts of this state." Id.