In 2016 Leonard Higgins of Portland shut off a valve at an oil pipeline in Chouteau County, Montana. It was part of a coordinated effort in four states to bring attention to the threat of climate change.
A lawsuit is challenging 287 oil and gas leases on federal land in Montana, claiming the federal government failed to evaluate the effects on water and climate.
“This case challenges the United States Bureau of Land Management’sM(BLM’s) decisions to sell oil and gas leases on public lands in Montana while turning a blind eye to the groundwater contamination and climate pollution that will result from them,” says the lawsuit.
It was filed in federal district court in Great Falls by WildEarth Guardians, the Montana Environmental Information Center (MEIC) and three landowners.