Frontier Institute Issues Statement Following Decision In Held v. Montana
Statement from Frontier Institute
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 18th, 2024
tavery@frontierinstitute.org
Frontier Institute Issues Statement Following Decision in Held v. Montana
HELENA, Mont. – In response to today’s decision by the Montana Supreme Court to affirm the lower court’s ruling in the high-profile Held v. Montana case, Frontier Institute issued the following statement:
“We are deeply disappointed by today’s decision. The court should have left the question of policymaking to address global climate change to our elected lawmakers. We share the concerns outlined by Justice Rice in his dissent, that this decision undermines the separation of powers and opens the door for endless climate litigation on nearly all economic activity in the state,” said Kendall Cotton, President and CEO. “As the state moves forward, we believe it is imperative for our elected lawmakers to address the threat of future litigation head on by working to reduce the uncertainty and unpredictability arising from our state’s environmental permitting policies.”
The landmark 2023 Montana district court ruling in the Held v. Montana case struck down two recent changes to state environmental permitting laws and determined that 16 youths were injured by the state’s contribution to climate change, and therefore had standing to sue the state. The decision was a first-of-its-kind ruling in a nationwide campaign of similar “children’s suits” over climate policy and against energy development. The State of Montana appealed that decision to the Montana Supreme Court.
Frontier Institute, joined by a diverse group of organizations and industry leaders, previously submitted an amicus brief to the Montana Supreme Court in January 2024, arguing that the plaintiffs lacked standing to bring the case.
Today, the Montana Supreme Court issued its final opinion in the Held v. Montana case.
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Founded in 2020, Frontier Institute is a think tank based in Helena, MT dedicated to keeping Montanans free to build, create, and innovate.