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From the Daily Montanan:

The Montana Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a district court ruling in the nation’s first constitutional climate change trial, affirming that the youth plaintiffs have a “fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment” while revoking two Montana statutes.

The 70-page decision, authored by Chief Justice Mike McGrath, comes 16 months after Lewis and Clark District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled in the landmark Held v. Montana lawsuit, explicitly stating that the state’s greenhouse gas emissions are “proven to be a substantial factor in causing climate impacts to Montana’s environment, and harm and injury to the youth plaintiffs.” Seeley’s decision also rolled back two laws enacted by the 2023 legislature that changed the Montana Environmental Policy Act.

The state immediately appealed the decision to the Montana Supreme Court, which heard oral arguments in the appeal in July. The court found in a 6-to-1 decision that Montana’s constitutional guarantee of a “clean and healthful environment” includes a stable climate system, “which is clearly within the object and true principles of the Framers inclusion of the right.”

“Plaintiffs showed at trial—without dispute—that climate change is harming Montana’s environmental life support system now and with increasing severity for the foreseeable future,” the order states. “Plaintiffs showed that climate change does impact the clear, unpolluted air of the Bob Marshall wilderness; it does impact the availability of clear water and clear air in the Bull Mountains; and it does exacerbate the wildfire stench in Missoula, along with the rest of the State.”

The six-justice majority found the law which limited analysis of greenhouse gas emissions during environmental reviews violates the Montana Constitution’s “right to a clean and healthful environment,” and enjoined the state from acting on it.

All this sounds great, but what does it mean in practice?  OK, analyses of greenhouse gas emissions are admissible in environmental reviews.  But what actions can be taken to force the reductions of these pollutants?

Good News from Montana in Climate Change Mitigation …. Or Is It?

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Renewable Energy

What Should Trump Supporters Do at this Point?

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Maybe a better question is what they shouldn’t do.

If I were one of these folks, I would be reluctant to go on record and declare my support for the man who has almost single handedly brought the United States to its knees.

A little over ten years ago,

  • Our country was the envy of the world; now we’re regarded with a mixture of ridicule and contempt.
  • We were making our way forward out of ignorance, racism, and hatred of other people; now it’s thriving.
  • The common American could afford gasoline, housing, and groceries; now we’re suffering.
  • America was doing what it could to protect endangered species and forward environment responsibility; now we’ve sold our souls to the greediest of individuals and corporations.
  • We had very little corruption in the presidency; now it’s rampant, and the DoJ has been weaponized to protect the criminal sociopath in the White House.

Again, I’d be loath to attach my name to this shit.

What Should Trump Supporters Do at this Point?

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Rise of Communism

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Well, he’s certainly one of the most visible anti-intellectuals and science deniers in our public space.

If you like ignorant morons, he’s your guy.

Rise of Communism

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The Republican Brand

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No one with any sense truly doubts the words at left.  Caring only about wealthy white men is the GOP brand, like the Nike “swoosh.”

Not only does the Republican party appeal to the uber-rich, but also to wide variety of racists, and people stupid enough to believe that Trump is bringing manufacturing back to the U.S. and that the billionaires are job creators.

The Republican Brand

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