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(HELENA, Mont.) — The federal government has made a push toward enacting policies addressing climate change in recent years, but state lawmakers in Montana are bucking the trend, recently passing a law curbing climate impact reviews in the state.

State Rep. Josh Kassmier last month introduced House Bill 971, an amendment to the Montana Environmental Policy Act that changes the process of how large projects are reviewed by preventing state regulators from considering greenhouse gas emissions and climate impacts when conducting environmental reviews.

Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte signed the bill into law on May 10.

The move comes in a state is known for its outdoor recreation and vast landscapes, with diverse terrain ranging from the Great Plains to the Rocky Mountains and several national and state parks, including a portion of Yellowstone, the first plot of land in the U.S. to be designated as federally protected.

“Montanans have a very strong connection to the land,” Anne Hedges, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Montana Environmental Information Center, told ABC News. “You don’t live here unless you like being outdoors and recreating and enjoying the scenery.”

But, in a state filled with such natural resources, the extraction of coal, oil and other natural gases and the resulting financial boon is also popular, Robin Saha, a professor of environmental studies at the University of Montana, told ABC News.

Passage of the law was a “knee-jerk reaction” after the permit for the construction of a NorthWestern Energy methane gas plant outside of Laurel, Montana, was revoked by a district judge in Yellowstone County on April 6, Saha said.

Local residents had argued for years that the power plant was poorly located and posed threats to the public health and quality of life, according to the Billings Gazette.

Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gas emissions, measuring more 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide in terms of how much warming it can contribute to the atmosphere over time, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Methane emissions contribute to at least a quarter of today’s climate warming, the Environmental Defense Fund says.

“I think they saw the requirements to assess greenhouse gas emissions as sort of a roadblock and decided that, since it was slowing down the process for NorthWestern energy, they would just make sure that didn’t happen again,” Saha said of the lawmakers who voted for the bill.

Jenny Harbine, managing attorney for nonprofit Earthjustice’s Northern Rockies office, described the law to ABC News as “cynical.”

She said, “Rather than taking that issue back to the state regulator, and just doing the work to look at the climate impacts, the legislature said, ‘Well, let’s not look at climate impacts at all.'”

Some environmental experts in Montana likened the new legislation to part of a long trend of climate denialism in the state, accusing state leaders of turning a blind eye to the impact on climate change to appease major industries.

“This is just an effort to bury Montanans heads in the sand,” Saha said.

Critics argue the bill also violates the 50-year-old Montana state constitution, which guarantees Montanans the right to a “clean and healthful environment.”

The state clause is the “strongest constitutional provision” in the U.S. for protecting the environment, Hedges said. It is also the strongest argument environmentalist have to challenge House Bill 971 in court, Michelle Bryan, a professor at the University of Montana’s natural resources and environmental law program, told ABC News.

The law will likely be challenged as a violation of the state constitution, Bryan said, adding that in the past when the state legislature has attempted to amend the Montana Environmental Protection Act and was challenged in court, the amendment failed.

But even if the law is upheld, it will be difficult to enforce because of the “clean and healthful environment” clause in the state constitution, Bryan said.

Critics say Montana is already experiencing the effects of climate change, pointing to a whiplash of severe weather events like constant flooding on the Yellowstone River, extreme heat, one of the largest snowpacks to fall in the last decade, decades-long drought and wildfires raging more than a month before the dry season officially begins. There have been several climate assessments done in the state on these weather events, Bryan said.

Last week, air quality alerts were issued in Montana due to the early season wildfires burning in Canada — a clear consequence of warming temperatures, critics argued.

“Montana is experiencing pretty, pretty severe, serious effects of climate change,” Saha said. “The people of Montana have an interest in good decisions being made that aren’t going to worsen climate change.”

The effects the bill has on the state’s $7.2 billion annual outdoor economy and the tens of thousands of jobs it supports will also be “severe and drastic,” Alsentzer said.

The state is currently being sued by 16 youth plaintiffs over its pro-fossil fuel policies. In the complaint brought by environmental group Our Children’s Trust, one plaintiff who engages in regular outdoor recreation said climate change was affecting ski conditions. Another plaintiff, who is Native American, said their ability to harvest berries has been impacted. Another plaintiff who works on a ranch said climate change was affecting agricultural operations. Trial will start for that case in June.

“You can’t have a rational environmental decision-making process without a consideration of climate impacts,” Harbine said. “‘See no evil’ is not an environmental policy. But that’s not what the legislature intends.”

Representatives for Kassmier and Gianforte did not immediately respond to ABC News’ requests for comment.

Proponents of the bill, including Kassmier, said the new law addresses the conflict between the legislative and judiciary branches in the state, ensuring that lawmakers, not judges, set policy on critical issues like the permitting for the NorthWestern energy plant, according to the Montana Free Press.

Kaitlin Price, a spokesperson for Gianforte, told the Montana Free Press that the bill ensures that regulation of greenhouse gas emissions remains under federal regulatory frameworks.

“House Bill 971 re-established the longstanding, bipartisan policy that analysis conducted pursuant to the Montana Environmental Policy Act does not include analysis of greenhouse gas emissions,” Price said. “The bill would allow evaluation of GHGs if it is required under federal law or if Congress amends the Clean Air Act to include carbon dioxide as a regulated pollutant.”

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(INDIANAPOLIS) — The Indiana Medical Licensing Board decided late Thursday to reprimand and fine a doctor after ruling that she violated patient privacy laws by talking to a newspaper reporter about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old rape victim from neighboring Ohio.

After an hourslong hearing, the board voted to issue Indianapolis obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Caitlin Bernard a letter of reprimand and a fine of $3,000, but refused a request from Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita to suspend Bernard’s license. The board dismissed Rokita’s allegations that Bernard violated state law by not reporting the child abuse to Indiana authorities.

Bernard has become a flashpoint in the national debate on abortion rights since performing the procedure on the Ohio girl last June, not long after the United States Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide nearly 50 years ago. The unprecedented Supreme Court decision put into effect an Ohio law that banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Bernard said the girl was six weeks and three days into her pregnancy when she traveled across state lines to Indiana, which at the time allowed abortions to be performed up to 20 weeks after fertilization.

The physician has been under fire from Rokita, a Republican who opposes abortion, and the two have been in a dispute for months. The Indiana attorney general submitted a complaint against Bernard to the state medical licensing board in December, claiming that she violated federal and state law relating to patient privacy and reporting child abuse.

A judge then threw out a lawsuit filed by Bernard and her colleague, Dr. Amy Caldwell, against Rokita to prevent his office from accessing patients’ medical records and investigating abortion providers. The judge declined to provide a preliminary injunction against Rokita due to his referral of investigations into Bernard to the Indiana Medical Licensing Board, saying the board now has jurisdiction over the investigations.

Bernard’s lawsuit had accused Rokita of infringing on patient-doctor confidentiality and claims that he is targeting physicians who provide legal medical care including abortions, according to court filings.

An Ohio investigation ultimately resulted in a 27-year-old man being charged with the rape of the 10-year-old girl.

Bernard told the Indiana Medical Licensing Board that she complied with the investigation. She said the patient was hospitalized after being given a medication abortion so that the fetal remains could be collected and submitted as evidence.

In her testimony at a hearing in Indianapolis on Thursday, Bernard heavily criticized Ohio and Indiana politicians for politicizing the case.

“I think that if the Attorney General, Todd Rokita, had not chosen to make this his political stunt we would not be here today,” Bernard said. “I don’t think that anyone would have been looking into this story as any different than any other interview that I have ever given if it was not politicized the way that it was by public figures in our state and in Ohio.”

Bernard argued that she does not see abortion as a political issue, but rather a part of comprehensive reproductive healthcare. Bernard said she was one of only two complex family specialists in Indiana and has done interviews with reporters in the past that have not received as much attention.

Bernard told the board that she did not reveal any identifiable information about the patient to the press, but thought it was important for the public to know the impact abortion bans could have on care in the state. She said a hypothetical would not have sent across that message.

“I think that it is incredibly important for people to understand the real-world impacts of the laws of this country about abortion or otherwise,” Bernard said in her testimony. “I think it is important for people to know what patients will have to go through because of legislation that is being passed and a hypothetical does not make that impact.”

“It does not help people understand what is happening and I think people need to know, again, the real-life impacts of those laws so that they could make their own determinations about whether to support or oppose them, again. Particularly if those laws are about to be passed in their own states,” she added.

Bernard also told the board she properly reported the case of child abuse in line with her hospital’s guidelines when she reported it to Ohio authorities. Ohio is where the patient lived at the time and where the abuse occurred.

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(LOS ANGELES) — A 17-year-old suspect has been arrested for allegedly stabbing a Los Angeles Metro Bus operator multiple times, leaving him in critical condition, police said.

A male suspect boarded the bus in Woodland Hills Wednesday evening and began arguing with the driver before stabbing him, Metro Los Angeles said on Twitter.

“The bus driver and the suspect exited the bus and continued the argument, at which time the suspect produced a knife (or sharp object) and stabbed the bus driver multiple times,” police said in a press release.

The suspect then fled on foot near Erwin Street and Topanga Canyon Boulevard, officials said.

L.A. Police Department officers began a grid search of the area, chief Michel Moore said, adding that the department “has mustered a number of night watch detectives and uniform personnel to investigate this senseless attack.”

Police officials released a statement with images of the suspect.

On Thursday, Moore announced that the suspect has been identified and a 17-year-old has been taken into custody. The suspect is not being publicly identified at this time because he is a juvenile, Moore said.

Moore praised the community for tips leading to the suspect’s arrest “who came together recognizing that this type of attack could not go unaddressed.”

Moore said police are investigating the suspect’s background in an attempt to find a motive for what he called a “horrific,” “vicious” and “unprovoked” attack.

The bus driver remains in “extremely” critical condition, Moore said Thursday.

“This heinous act of violence is horrific and the harm done to one of our Metro drivers is tragic. I join the entire city family in praying for him tonight, and my heart also goes out to his family,” Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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(FORT WORTH, Texas) — A 12-year-old girl is being hailed as a hero for saving her family as authorities said carbon monoxide was filling their home in Fort Worth, Texas.

Jaziyah Parker knew something wasn’t right when her mother and younger brother began passing out.

She called 911 and quickly asked for help.

“Something wrong with my mama. Can you hurry up and come?” Jaziyah can be heard asking the dispatcher in a recording released by the department.

The fire department said in a statement to ABC News that if Jaziyah hadn’t made the crucial call, her entire family wouldn’t be alive today.

“At first, they were acting normal and when I came back to my room, they started screaming and throwing up and stuff and they started to pass out,” Jaziyah recalled.

Accidental carbon monoxide poisoning causes at least 430 deaths each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Carbon monoxide can be very dangerous because it is invisible, has no smell or taste and it’s hard to detect.

With Jaziyah’s family, firefighters say the family accidentally left their car running in the garage.

“When a car is running in an enclosed environment, this is why people are more at risk of carbon monoxide exposure,” emergency medicine physician and medical toxicologist Dr. Stephanie Widmer explained to “Good Morning America.”

“Realizing [carbon monoxide poisoning is] what’s going on is something that’s very difficult. So that’s why carbon monoxide detectors are vital. They’re so important,” Widmer said.

The city of Forth Worth honored Jaziyah on Tuesday for her quick thinking and bravery.

“I’m the one who is supposed to protect [my children],” Jaziyah’s mother, Ariel Mitchell, said on Tuesday. “It’s like I was the one getting protected by them.”

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(UVALDE, Texas) — A year after the shooting at Robb Elementary School that left 21 people dead, some families in Uvalde, Texas, are troubled that the authorities still have not finished investigating the events of that day, including the botched police response.

“We feel there’s no justice for the fallen 21 — accountability,” said Jessica Orona, whose 10-year-old son, Noah, was shot but survived the attack. “I think that’s what hurts the most.”

Local District Attorney Christina Mitchell said she is still waiting on an investigative report from the Texas Department of Public Safety before presenting the case to a grand jury. In a statement released Wednesday, Mitchell said she had been “optimistic” that the investigation would be completed by the one-year mark, but it is “not surprising” that it’s still ongoing due to its magnitude.

“Ultimately what we want is to know who was there, where they were, and what they were doing,” said Assistant District Attorney Scott Durfee. “And then the grand jury will make the final decision as to what crimes have been committed and whether indictments should ensue.”

In total, 376 officers responded to the elementary school that day from 23 departments. Uvalde Police Chief Danny Rodriguez was on vacation that day, but he says that responding law enforcement, which included 25 of his officers, failed. His department is conducting its own administrative review, but he does not know when that will be complete.

“I think there was maybe a mixture of things that– that occurred that day. Maybe there was too many different agencies– too many leaders from different various agencies,” said Rodriguez.

Body and hallway cameras obtained by ABC News show that top police officials, including Pete Arredondo, the Uvalde schools police chief at the time, and Mariano Pargas, the city’s acting police chief, arrived on the scene while the gunman continued to shoot.

Instead of engaging the gunman in the classroom, video shows law enforcement retreating back down the hallways. Investigators tell ABC News that, though there were many mistakes that day, these early moments are the focus of the scrutiny.

Despite phone calls from two students inside the classroom begging dispatchers for help and explaining that there were victims shot but still alive, police waited in the hallway for a specialized border patrol team to arrive.

Dispatch audio shows that Pargas knew about those 911 calls from inside more than 30 minutes before going in to rescue the students.

“An abject failure is being kind,” said Director of the Texas Department of Public Safety Steve McCraw, whose own department had 91 officers on scene that day. Since the shooting, one DPS officer has been fired, another has resigned, and a third is appealing dismissal.

Whether that “abject failure” will be charged as a crime will be up to the grand jury, which has yet to be convened.

Arredondo has repeatedly defended his actions, saying he thought the gunman was “cornered.” He was fired by the school district and has not responded to ABC News requests for an interview.

Pargas retired from the police department after officials said they would move to fire him. He is seeking to have his retirement status changed to “honorable” and told ABC News he could not do an interview while the investigation is ongoing.

Uvalde:365 is a continuing ABC News series reported from Uvalde and focused on the Texas community and how it forges on in the shadow of tragedy.

Pargas’ former boss, Chief Rodriguez, is waiting for that administrative review to be complete before making any policy changes to the Uvalde Police Department. While the investigation is ongoing, he says the morale amongst his officers varies.

“The morale, it’s a roller-coaster,” said Rodriguez. “what they went through — it’s going to affect them for the rest of their lives. There’s no doubt about that.”

But the parents of some of the students who were also there that day, like Jessica and Oscar Orona, continue to wait for officials to be held responsible for the botched response.

“The atrocity that he not only experienced, but the length of time that he had to sit there amongst all of that you know, devastation,” said Oscar Orona, of his son. “The thought of him having to go through that, it just haunts me and haunts us.”

Since the shooting, six officers have left the Uvalde police force. Most of them were not on scene the day of the shooting, said Rodriguez, but the national and local criticism of the police response was overwhelming. A year after Uvalde’s worst day, Rodriguez is faced with leading the department forward.

“We have to gain that community’s trust, the way it was on May 23rd,” said Rodriguez. “And we’ll do it. We’re going to do it. And and I’m going to be right there with my officers doing it. it’s a group effort. And we all have to do this together.”

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(NEW YORK) — A 4-month-old girl has died at a New York City hotel being used to house asylum-seekers, police said.

The baby, who a police official said was a member of a migrant family, was found unconscious and unresponsive inside the Stewart Hotel in Midtown at 7:32 a.m. Thursday, according to authorities.

She was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

There is no apparent criminality but the medical examiner will determine the cause of death, according to police.

The Stewart Hotel, which was being used as a New York City Department of Social Services emergency shelter, was transitioned into a migrant shelter in November.

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(OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla.) — Elijah Muhammad has achieved something not many 13 year olds can brag about: He’s a college graduate.

The young teen recently walked the stage at Oklahoma City Community College after earning an associate’s degree in computer science and cybersecurity.

Elijah told ABC News affiliate KOCO that he also has 10 IBM certifications, one Google IT certification and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree at Oklahoma State University.

“My dad has a homeschool program called Pro One Collegiate Academy and it basically accelerates your learning into things that you’re interested in,” Elijah told “Good Morning America.” “So, since I was interested in cybersecurity, it accelerated me in that and I was able to go to college early.”

Elijah said he would often catch the attention of other students in his community college courses, with some thinking that another adult in the classroom was babysitting him.

“I told them that I was actually in this class [at] my age — they were surprised at first,” he said. “They thought I would just be quiet in class. But when I asked questions and I was interacting with the class, they were more surprised.”

Elijah’s older sister Shania Muhammad told KOCO her brother is “the smartest person I know.”

“And regardless of if you’re older or not, it’s like I’ve never seen [anything] like him,” she said.

Shania, who spoke with KOCO about graduating from Langston University at just 15 years old, worked with Elijah and helped inspire him to graduate early.

“I got two associate’s degrees at 14 years old, and I kind of did the same process,” said Shania. “That’s why I just went on to do my bachelor’s. I completed everything in two and a half years. So I was just kind of exploring and just having fun, but it turned out quite amazing.”

Elijah said the siblings are “competitive,” but added, “When someone else needs help, we’re all there to help each other out.”

As much as Elijah studies, he also makes time for other activities, including swimming and basketball. He is also a motivational speaker and hopes to help others achieve their goals.

“If you want to put your mind to making a 4.0, you can do it,” Elijah told KOCO. “If you want to put your mind to winning a state championship, you can do it. You just gotta put in the work that it takes to accomplish that.”

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(STERLING, Va.) — A senior adviser to the super PAC backing Gov. Ron DeSantis for president participated Thursday in a LIV Golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, along with the Florida governor’s 2024 rival, former President Donald Trump.

Phil Cox, who serves as a senior adviser to Never Back Down super PAC, and who also advised the governor during his successful 2020 reelection bid, teed off Thursday morning at the controversial Saudi-backed tournament, according to multiple sources and a schedule of the event obtained by ABC News.

Cox hit the links just a few hours after Trump’s own tee time earlier in the morning, sources told ABC News.

The Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tournament raised eyebrows when it launched last year, with critics calling it an example of “sportswashing,” the process by which a group will launder its reputation with professional sporting events.

Trump’s golf courses have hosted several LIV tournaments over the last year.

Cox’s appearance Thursday at the tournament on Trump’s property follows news that the consulting group GP3, of which Cox is a partner, recently clinched a deal with the Saudi-financed LIV tour.

Cox is one of the GP3 consultants who works on the LIV account, according to The New York Times.

Sources tell ABC News that the business relationship between Cox and the LIV tournament has begun to ruffle feathers among those close to the Florida governor.

“I’m an unpaid, volunteer adviser to Never Back Down and proud to support Governor DeSantis,” Cox said in a statement to ABC News.

Officials with Never Back Down super PAC did not respond to a request for comment from ABC News. A spokesperson for Never Back Down previously told The New York Times regarding Cox, “there is no conflict here with his outside businesses.”

Cox, a longtime Republican operative, previously served as executive director of the Republican Governors Association.

DeSantis’ presidential campaign officially kicked off Wednesday night with a live Twitter Spaces event that was marred by technical glitches and was subsequently mocked by Trump on his Truth Social platform.

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(VALLEY MILLS, Texas) — A Texas family is mourning the loss of a beloved father and the hospitalization of his young son following a lightning strike.

Matthew Boggs was walking his sons Elijah, 11, and Grayson, 6, home after school on May 15, when lightning struck him and Grayson, according to Stephanie Burris, who is Boggs’ first cousin.

Burris told “Good Morning America” that the father and sons were walking together on the family’s driveway in Valley Mills, Texas, after Boggs picked up his sons from the bus stop.

At a separation in the driveway, Elijah veered left, while Grayson and Boggs, 34, veered to the right together, according to Burris.

Burris said family members who were home at the time told her Boggs reached down and grabbed Grayson’s hand after the two had separated from Elijah, and told his son that he loved him.

Just seconds later, the lightning bolt struck, killing Boggs and severely injuring Grayson.

“His last words were, ‘I love you buddy,’ to his son,” Burris said of her cousin.

The local sheriff’s office confirmed the lightning strike in a May 16 Facebook post.

“On arrival, responders located an adult male and a 6 year old child who were not responsive,” the statement read. “Responders determined that the adult male was deceased and the child was unresponsive, but breathing.”

Burris said the lightning strike appeared to come out of nowhere, noting there were few clouds in the sky and Boggs’ mom, who lives next door, was outside mowing the lawn at the time.

Grayson is currently being treated at Baylor Scott & White McLane Children’s Medical Center in Temple, Texas, where he remains on a ventilator.

“It seems like he’s making very small progress every day, but we don’t know if it’s purposeful,” Burris said. “Until he’s off [the ventilator], we’re not going to know the extent of his deficits.”

The hospital declined to comment on Grayson’s condition, citing patient confidentiality.

Burris has started a GoFundMe account to help support Grayson in his ongoing recovery, as well as Elijah and the boys’ mother Kayla Boggs.

“As we learned more about the extent of Grayson’s injuries, he’s going to need some sort of care for the rest of his life,” Burris said, adding, “There has been such an outpouring of love and support for them. It’s just amazing.”

Burris said the family is focused on Grayson’s recovery and remembering Boggs, whom she described as a devoted dad.

At the time of the lightning strike, Grayson was just three days away from finishing kindergarten, and Boggs was three months shy of his 35th birthday.

“When it came to the boys, they were his world,” Burris said. “They were his little buddies. They loved to wrestle and play video games.”

She continued, “One of Elijah’s favorite things with his dad was when they would go swimming at the pool. They really let loose and would just play for hours and have so much fun in the water.”

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