In the aftermath of the Held climate lawsuit two years ago, Montana regulators began analyzing how proposed projects could affect greenhouse gas emissions. Now, state leaders have released the first draft of a document that will provide more guidance for conducting that analysis.

(Watch the video for more on the state's new proposed guidance.)

Prior to 2023, Montana law said state agencies couldnt consider greenhouse gases and their climate impact when doing environmental reviews on planned projects under the Montana Environmental Policy Act. However, in the Held case, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that prohibition was invalid.

Bo Wilkins, chief of the Montana Department of Environmental Qualitys Air Quality Bureau, says DEQ began doing greenhouse gas assessments after Held, but there

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