Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen’s (R) office filed a notice of appeal Friday in the case Held v. Montana, which was decided by District Court Judge Kathy Seeley in August. A coalition of youth climate activists sued the state over a 2023 statute that exempted fossil fuel permitting from consideration of greenhouse gas output. Plaintiffs argued — and Seeley agreed — this violated their right under the Montana constitution to a “clean and healthful environment.”