Document Type
Case Note
Abstract
In 1972, Montana, a prominent petrostate, amended its constitution to enshrine the inalienable right to a clean and healthful environment. After decades of fossil fuel production and consumption, which led to high levels of greenhouse gas emissions, this green amendment became the foundation of Held v. Montana--the first youth-led constitutional climate case to prevail against a petrostate. This Article illustrates the importance of Held for the plaintiffs in the case, for current and future residents of the state, and for plaintiffs in future climate change litigation. This Article also urges the federal government to provide an avenue for redress for all U.S. residents as climate change impacts continue to intensify.
Recommended Citation
Hailey Rizzo,
From Petrostate to Precedent: The Impact of Held v. Montana on Future Climate Litigation and the Urgent Need for Federal Climate Action,
30
Ocean & Coastal L.J.
(2025).
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.mainelaw.maine.edu/oclj/vol30/iss2/4
