HELENA, Mont. — The federal government has made a push toward enacting policies addressing climate change in recent years, but state lawmakers in Montana are bucking the trend, recently passing a law curbing climate impact reviews in the state.
State Rep. Josh Kassmier last month introduced House Bill 971, an amendment to the Montana Environmental Policy Act that changes the process of how large projects are reviewed by preventing state regulators from considering greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts when conducting environmental reviews.
Local residents had argued for years that the power plant was poorly located and posed threats to the public health and quality of life, according to the Billings Gazette. She said,"Rather than taking that issue back to the state regulator, and just doing the work to look at the climate impacts, the legislature said, 'Well, let's not look at climate impacts at all.'"
But even if the law is upheld, it will be difficult to enforce because of the"clean and healthful environment" clause in the state constitution, Bryan said. The effects the bill has on the state's $7.2 billion annual outdoor economy and the tens of thousands of jobs it supports will also be"severe and drastic," Alsentzer said.