Montana Judge Rules In Favor of Young Activists in Climate Case

photo courtesy of PBS

By Jullian Cauntay

Youth environmental activists have bagged a major legal victory with Montana District Court Judge, Kathy Seeley, ruling that the state violated their state guaranteed right to a clean and healthy environment. 

The decision in Held v. Montana itself won’t prevent any more mining or burning of fossil fuels in Montana; it has struck down a part of Montana’s recent Environmental Policy Act that allowed the state to permit energy projects without taking the possible impacts on climate into consideration. 

The Montana Attorney General’s office has signaled its intention to appeal the case, which would bring it to the state’s Supreme Court. The state argues that even if it were to completely stop producing CO2, the reduction would make no substantial difference on a global scale. 🐾