Montana Republicans move to weaken environmental protections after youth climate lawsuit victory
After Montana’s Supreme Court upheld a landmark youth-led climate lawsuit, state Republican lawmakers launched a wave of legislation aimed at curbing environmental regulations and reshaping the judiciary.
Nick Mott reports for Inside Climate News.
In short:
- Following the Held v. Montana decision affirming a constitutional right to a stable climate, Republican lawmakers proposed bills to limit the scope of environmental reviews and restrict state air quality standards.
- Efforts to politicize Montana’s judiciary system, including making judicial elections partisan and creating a governor-appointed court, failed during the legislative session but could resurface.
- Conservation groups, citizens, and health organizations voiced strong opposition, warning that the new legislation ignores the health and environmental realities of climate change and weakens Montanans' constitutional protections.
Key quote:
“They’ll complain about droughts, they’ll complain about wildfires, they will complain about all of the impacts either caused or exacerbated by climate change… but they won’t admit what the problem is and they refuse to do anything about it.”
— Anne Hedges, Montana Environmental Information Center
Why this matters:
Montana’s legislative actions reveal a broader national trend of political resistance against climate accountability, even as environmental impacts intensify. Climate change isn’t a distant threat; it worsens wildfires, droughts, and air quality right now, with serious health and economic costs. Rolling back environmental protections endangers clean water, breathable air, and public health, especially in a state already scarred by decades of extractive industries.
For more: Montana lawmakers debate changes to environmental review law
