{"id":258760,"date":"2023-05-23T15:48:49","date_gmt":"2023-05-23T13:48:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=258760"},"modified":"2023-05-23T15:48:52","modified_gmt":"2023-05-23T13:48:52","slug":"montana-lawmakers-rein-in-judicial-climatism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=258760","title":{"rendered":"Montana Lawmakers Rein In Judicial\u00a0Climatism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Glacier National Park\rMontana USA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From Science Matters<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Ron Clutz<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mine work at Westmoreland\u2019s Rosebud Mine near Colstrip. Credit: Alexis Bonogofsky<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montana Free Press reports on how the state legislature liberated project permitting from CO2 hysteria, and the nonsense labeling the essential trace gas as a \u201cpollutant.\u201d The article is Gianforte signs bill banning state agencies from analyzing climate impacts. <\/strong><\/a> Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Bill 971 comes as Montana courts are poised to consider how \u201cclean and healthful environment\u201d protections intersect with energy regulations.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed into law a bill that bars the state from considering climate impacts in its analysis of large projects such as coal mines and power plants.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

House Bill 971 was among the most controversial energy- and environment-related proposals<\/strong> before the Legislature this session, drawing more than 1,000 comments, 95% of which expressed opposition to the measure. HB 971 bars state regulators like the Montana Department of Environmental Quality from including analyses of greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts, both within and outside Montana\u2019s borders,<\/strong> when conducting comprehensive reviews of large projects.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It builds off of a decade-old law barring the state from including
\u201cactual or potential impacts that are regional, national,
or global in nature\u201d in environmental reviews.<\/mark><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Comment:  The pertinent wording appears in Part 2 of the Act:<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

(2) (a) Except as provided in subsection (2)(b), an environmental review<\/strong> conducted pursuant to subsection (1) may not include<\/strong> an evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong> AND corresponding impacts to the climate<\/strong> in the state or beyond the state\u2019s borders.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(2) (b) An environmental review conducted pursuant to subsection (1) may include an evaluation if:<\/strong> conducted JOINTLY by a state agency and a federal agency<\/strong> to the extent the review is required by the federal agency;<\/em>
or the United States congress amends the federal Clean Air Act to include carbon dioxide emissions as a regulated pollutant.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gianforte signed HB 971\u00a0into law May 10 over opposition from climate and environmental groups<\/strong>\u00a0that had argued that the measure hinders the state\u2019s ability to respond to\u00a0the crisis of our time: the atmosphere-warming emissions of greenhouse gases<\/strong>\u00a0that are shrinking the state\u2019s snowpack, reducing summer and fall streamflows, and contributing to catastrophic flooding and longer, more intense wildfire seasons. Opponents had also\u00a0argued that the majority of Montanans believe in human-caused climate change and want meaningful climate action.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Proponents of the measure, including its sponsor, Rep. Josh Kassmier, R-Fort Benton, argued that by\u00a0pushing back on a recent ruling revoking a NorthWestern Energy gas plant permit,<\/strong>\u00a0HB 971 underscores that it\u2019s\u00a0lawmakers, not judges, who set policy.<\/strong>\u00a0Other proponents, including the Treasure State Resources Association and the Montana Petroleum Association, asserted that HB 971\u00a0protects state agencies from an \u201cunworkable\u201d mandate to measure greenhouse gas emissions<\/strong>\u00a0and that any such regulation properly belongs under federal regulatory frameworks such as the Clean Air Act.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

NorthWestern Energy Plan Building a New $250M Natural Gas Power Plant at Laurel, Montana<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gianforte spokesperson<\/strong> Kaitlin Price echoed this assessment in a statement<\/strong> to Montana Free Press.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHouse Bill 971 re-established the longstanding, bipartisan policy<\/strong> that analysis conducted pursuant to the Montana Environmental Policy Act does not include analysis of greenhouse gas emissions,\u201d<\/strong> Price said. \u201cThe bill would allow evaluation of GHGs if it is required under federal law or if Congress amends the Clean Air Act to include carbon dioxide as a regulated pollutant.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill comes as\u00a0a Helena judge is weighing a case brought by 16 youth plaintiffs<\/strong>\u00a0asking the judicial branch to require the state to measure and regulate greenhouse gas emissions<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong>That lawsuit, Held vs. Montana, is set for a 10-day hearing that will start June 12.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It also comes as the\u00a0U.S. Environmental Protection Agency considers a rule<\/a>\u00a0that would expand regulations dealing with power plants\u2019 emissions of greenhouse gasses.<\/strong>\u00a0If passed, the rule would require power plants like the coal-fired plant in Colstrip to capture 90% of its carbon emissions by 2038.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It builds off of a decade-old law barring the state from including
\n\u201cactual or potential impacts that are regional, national,
\nor global in nature\u201d in environmental reviews.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":258771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691818090,691818076,691818443],"class_list":{"0":"post-258760","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-climate-warning","9":"tag-co2","10":"tag-greenhouse-gas-emissions","12":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/0-Montana.jpeg?fit=2000%2C1333&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-15jy","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":274291,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=274291","url_meta":{"origin":258760,"position":0},"title":"Climate Change Misinformation Wins in Montana","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"18\/08\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"In Montana \u201cClimate Kids\u201d Lawsuit, Climate Change Misinformation Wins\u00a0","rel":"","context":"In \"Climate change\"","block_context":{"text":"Climate change","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=climate-change"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0heldvmontana-climate-change-lawsuit.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0heldvmontana-climate-change-lawsuit.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0heldvmontana-climate-change-lawsuit.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0heldvmontana-climate-change-lawsuit.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/0heldvmontana-climate-change-lawsuit.webp?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":228657,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=228657","url_meta":{"origin":258760,"position":1},"title":"Glacier saga","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/11\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I hope that this little exposition helps Reilly Neill and the real scientists of Montana understand the causes of the recent variations in Montana\u2019s glaciers.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00Screen-Shot-2022-11-10-at-11.31.49-AM.webp?fit=768%2C396&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00Screen-Shot-2022-11-10-at-11.31.49-AM.webp?fit=768%2C396&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00Screen-Shot-2022-11-10-at-11.31.49-AM.webp?fit=768%2C396&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/00Screen-Shot-2022-11-10-at-11.31.49-AM.webp?fit=768%2C396&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":284560,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=284560","url_meta":{"origin":258760,"position":2},"title":"The Connecticut Green Amendment after Held v. 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