Landmark Montana Ruling on GHGs Could Support Other Climate Litigation

August 18, 2023--Written by John Egan for Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Fossil fuel litigation filed by youths across the U.S. could be affected by an August 14 ruling from a Montana district judge, who ruled that a state law prohibiting the assessment of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from current or planned fossil fuel projects was unconstitutional. The Montana constitution guarantees residents "the right to a clean and healthful environment," the judge wrote in her opinion. She ordered state agencies to "invalidat(e) statutes prohibiting analysis and remedies based on GHG emissions and climate impacts."