Today, we received the news that the Montana youth won their landmark climate trial, Held v. Montana.

In a sweeping ruling, the district judge determined that the state must consider greenhouse gas emissions in future projects and ruled two laws passed in the most recent legislative session unconstitutional.

The ruling is a sea-change. If we can do it in Montana, where we have the largest coal reserves in the country, we can do it other places.

We’re incredibly grateful for the 16 youth plaintiffs that challenged the state of Montana. Not only was it courageous, it was a huge commitment of time, spending over three years of their young lives preparing for trial.

They stepped into something really big, and now the world is better for their efforts.

So what did the ruling do?

The ruling found that state laws prohibiting Montana agencies from considering climate change or greenhouse gas emissions when permitting fossil fuel activities were unconstitutional.
The ruling found that Senate Bill 557 was unconstitutional, null and void. That bill, which directly targeted our local, bipartisan Yellowstone Gateway Mine Campaign and sought to decrease public input in permitting processes, garnered major local opposition.
The ruling also found House Bill 971 to be unconstitutional. That bill told the state DEQ they could not consider GHG emissions in analysis of projects. In fact, the ruling found that every additional ton of GHG emissions leads us closer to climate catastrophe.
The ruling guarantees that the Montana government has an obligation to consider greenhouse gas emissions in all future projects.

We also want to thank the attorneys, experts, parents and other adults that made it possible, and the Park High students that stood in solidarity with their peers in Helena.

Donate to the Montana Youth Climate Summit!

So what’s next?

This October, PCEC and the Green Initiative will be co-hosting the first-ever Montana Youth Climate Summit here in Livingston. Taking place October 12 and 13, the goal is for 50 youth across Montana to come together to discuss climate change and what they can do about it.

By investing in passionate young leaders, we are building the capacity and community expertise needed to proactively address climate change issues by helping students feel empowered and a part of this place. This two-day conference will bring together like-minded youth to learn from each other, various climate professionals, and storytellers of all kinds.

Want to help invest in the future? Consider donating to the Montana Youth Climate Summit today.

BREAKING NEWS: Montana youth win their climate change lawsuit!