Judge Rules in Favor of Montana Youth in Landmark Environment Trial
In a landmark case, a Montana state court decided Monday in favor of young activists who alleged the state violated their rights to a clean and healthful environment by promoting the use of fossil fuels. The court decided that a provision in the Montana Environmental Policy Act harmed the environment by preventing the state from considering the potentially harmful effects of some energy projects.
The state contended that Montana’s emissions are small compared to the rest of the globe. Still, the group of plaintiffs argued that the state is obligated to consider how emissions contribute to the various droughts, wildfires, and other environmental events related to climate change.
In her ruling, the district court judge found that Montana’s emissions have proven to be a “substantial factor” in affecting the climate. Judge Kathy Seeley said that by prohibiting government agencies from considering climate impacts when deciding whether to approve energy projects, Montana is contributing to the climate crisis and stopping the state from appreciating the magnitude of that crisis.
Experts say the win could energize the environmental justice movement and reshape climate litigation nationwide. The trial took place in June and featured various testimonies from young people in the state who detailed how the increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to human activity was causing environmental damage and how this is expected to accelerate without government intervention. The court’s decision is a monumental first step in empowering young people to bring their concerns to the courts to secure their futures.
Environmental groups who supported the youth advocates hope that this ruling in Montana will pressure state leaders in other states to take this sort of litigation seriously, especially in places where cases are pending. The lawsuit was filed by Our Children’s Trust, which currently has cases awaiting trial in four other states.
Republican Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s office called the ruling “absurd, but not surprising.” The state has vowed to appeal the decision to the Montana Supreme Court.
Read the complete 103-page order here.