HELENA — In the summer of 2023, the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse played host to a high-profile weeklong trial, after 16 young plaintiffs filed suit, claiming the state of Montana wasn’t upholding their right to a “clean and healthful environment.” Now, some of the plaintiffs from the Held climate change lawsuit are backing a new lawsuit – this time, challenging the Trump administration’s energy policies.

“All of us care about our collective futures, all of us are uncertain about where the future is going and just how bad it could be,” said Eva Lighthiser, a 19-year-old from Livingston. “And I think that we have a lot of hope and want to use our voices to try and make change.”

(Watch the video to hear more from Lighthiser about the new suit.)

Ten of the Held plaintiffs, including Lighthiser, are leading a new group of 22, who filed suit in federal court in Butte this week. They’re asking a judge to block three of President Donald Trump’s executive orders, aimed at boosting U.S. fossil fuel production.

“What worries me is the fact that we're at a time where we need to be taking action against climate change, and that is not happening,” Lighthiser told MTN Friday. “Instead, it's going in the reverse.”

The lawsuit names Trump as a defendant, along with around a dozen federal agencies and their heads. The orders it’s challenging include one reversing regulations the administration says burden the development of energy resources, particularly oil, natural gas and coal; one declaring an “energy emergency” and speeding up production and delivery of those resources; and one encouraging more production and use of coal.

The Trump administration says these policies are needed to maintain the country’s supply of reliable energy and to bring down high costs.

The plaintiffs – who range in age from 7 to 25 – argue they’ve suffered direct harms from things like hotter summers and wildfires, that climate change has worsened those problems, and that Trump’s orders are ignoring the possible impacts of increased greenhouse gas emissions. Lighthiser cited things like the health effects of wildfire smoke, as well as the 2022 flooding on the Yellowstone River close to her home in Livingston.

“All throughout my life, I've experienced different climate harms,” she said.

The Held lawsuit centered on the Montana Constitution’s guarantee of a “clean and healthful environment.” This case, at the federal level, is based on different arguments.

“We're arguing that the executive orders, by ‘unleashing’ fossil fuels, blocking renewables, censoring climate science, are violating the plaintiffs’ fundamental rights to life and liberty, which includes the right to health and security,” said Nate Bellinger, a senior staff attorney with Our Children’s Trust, a national law firm that’s worked on multiple youth climate lawsuits, including Held and this one. “And unfortunately, at this point in time, I think we have a strong body of evidence to support those claims.”

Of the 22 plaintiffs, 15 are from Montana, including the ten who were involved with Held. The remaining seven are from Oregon, California, Florida and Hawaii.

Bellinger said it made sense to file the case in Montana, both because the executive orders will have a big impact on things like coal production in the state and because issues like wildfires and flooding have had such an impact here.

Rikki Held, the lead plaintiff in the Held case, is also part of this lawsuit. However, Lighthiser is the lead plaintiff this time, and the new suit will be under her name.

“it's a really, really honorable thing to be,” she said. “Being able to represent this case by name is a really special opportunity, and I'm very grateful for it.”

Read the plaintiffs' full complaint below: