Gianforte pulls out of U.S. Climate Alliance

Town Crier “Briefs from the Region” (2) – 7/13/21

Correction: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated that Gov. Greg Gianforte had announced he was withdrawing from the U.S. Climate Alliance. The article has been updated to reflect that it was reported, not announced, that he had withdrawn Montana from the U.S. Climate Alliance.

On July 9, AP News reported that Gov. Greg Gianforte has discontinued Montana’s membership from the U.S. Climate Alliance. The alliance is made up of about two dozen, mostly Western, states and is a nonpartisan group that works toward achieving the goals of the 2015 Paris Agreement. Former Gov. Steve Bullock joined Montana to the group in 2019. Gianforte’s spokesperson said in a statement that the governor believes that solving climate change is “unleashing American innovation,” but did not clarify what his climate goals are or what innovation looks like for the state. The announcement comes just over a week from when Gianforte formally announced a drought emergency for Montana. According to AP News, a representative of the Montana Department of Environmental Quality said the Gianforte administration has not offered guidance yet on how to handle the climate solutions plan.