Montana’s Supreme Court rejected a request by the state’s Republican governor to block a climate ruling requiring consideration of greenhouse gas emissions in fossil fuel development permits.
The ruling, made by District Court Judge Kathy Seeley, was upheld, with the court stating that the state did not identify flaws in her findings.
This means Montana officials must comply with the order pending appeal.
The ruling sets a precedent for legal challenges and affects a natural gas power plant being built by NorthWestern Energy.
Director Chris Dorrington of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, said, “We’re committed to getting this right for Montana and avoiding additional costly litigation while we work toward a solution.”
Young plaintiffs in the case expressed the impact of climate change, while the state argued that its emissions were insignificant compared to global levels.
The Department of Environmental Quality is discussing potential changes to how it uses the Montana Environmental Policy Act, which forbade greenhouse gas emission analyses unless regulated by the federal government.
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