A Montana judge on Monday sided with young environmental activists who said state agencies were violating their constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment by permitting fossil fuel development without considering its effect on the climate.
District Court Judge Kathy Seeley found the policy the state uses in evaluating requests for fossil fuel permits — which does not allow agencies to evaluate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions — is unconstitutional.
Julia Olson, an attorney representing the youth and with Our Children’s Trust, an Oregon environmental group that has filed similar lawsuits in every state since 2011, celebrated the ruling.
“As fires rage in the West, fueled by fossil fuel pollution, today’s ruling in Montana is a game-changer that marks a turning point in this generation’s efforts to save the planet from the devastating effects of human-caused climate chaos,” Olson said in a statement. “This is a huge win for Montana, for youth, for democracy, and for our climate. More rulings like this will certainly come.”
Judge Seeley wrote in the ruling that “Montana’s emissions and climate change have been proven to be a substantial factor in causing climate impacts to Montana’s environment and harm and injury” to the youth.
However, it's up to the state Legislature to determine how to bring the policy into compliance. That leaves slim chances for immediate change in a fossil fuel-friendly state where Republicans dominate the statehouse.
Attorneys for the 16 plaintiffs, ranging in age from 5 to 22, presented evidence during the two-week trial in June that increasing carbon dioxide emissions are driving hotter temperatures, more drought and wildfires and decreased snowpack. Those changes are harming the young people's physical and mental health, according to experts brought in by the plaintiffs.
The state argued that even if Montana completely stopped producing C02, it would have no effect on a global scale because states and countries around the world contribute to the amount of C02 in the atmosphere.
A remedy has to offer relief, the state said, or it’s not a remedy at all.
President Biden wants to repeal a Trump-era policy called Title 42, which makes it harder for migrants to seek asylum. A federal judge has temporarily blocked the administration from letting this happen. Cheddar News is joined by Maria Pabon, Dean Brian Bromberger Distinguished Professor of Law at Loyola University, to discuss.
Politico's Defense Reporter Paul McLeary joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss the significance of cabinet members Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's recent trip to Ukraine, and to break down how the U.S. is furthering its support for the besieged nation as Russian aggression intensifies.
Vice President Kamala Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, the White House announced. That's underscoring the persistence of the highly contagious virus even as the U.S. eases restrictions in a bid to revert to pre-pandemic normalcy.
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 26, 2022, with Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter for $44 billion, Russia warning of a possible threat of World War III, the FDA approving a COVID treatment for children under 12, and more.
The Supreme Court is taking on the case of Joseph Kennedy, who was fired from his job as Bremerton High School assistant coach in Washington for his post-match prayers that were joined by students. Rachel Laser, President and CEO of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, joins Cheddar News to explain the possible implications of a ruling.
Student loans are affecting about 46 million Americans across the country, adding up to nearly $1.7 trillion of debt total. President Biden has announced a handful of actions designed to bring millions of borrowers a step closer to debt forgiveness. Katie Lobosco, writer for CNN Politics, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Once called the rent-forever generation, Millennials are bucking the trend. But just as they age into their prime home-buying years, they’ve run up against a red hot housing market exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic. Cheddar News senior Reporter Chloe Aiello went to Hudson, N.Y., to learn more.
A New York judge has found former President Donald Trump in contempt of court for failing to adequately respond to a subpoena issued by the state’s attorney general as part of a civil investigation into his business dealings.
