A federal judge “reluctantly” dismissed a youth-led challenge to President Donald Trump’s efforts to boost the production of oil, gas and coal, despite finding the administration’s actions are likely to worsen climate change.
Judge Dana Christensen of the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled Wednesday that although he was “certainly troubled by the very real harms presented by climate change,” he does not have the authority to act.
Christensen, a Barack Obama appointee, said the 22 young people in Lighthiser v. Trump provided evidence they would be harmed by three energy-related executive orders Trump signed earlier this year, but he added the court can’t grant the relief they seek.
“At the heart of plaintiffs’ request is that the court wind back the clock to the regulatory framework that existed on January 19, 2025,” Christensen wrote. “However, it is unlikely that a declaration of the challenged EOs illegality, absent further court action, would revert the entirety of the United States’s energy policy back to January 19, nor would it necessarily invalidate all the implementing regulations.”
