Bullock Says Montana to Join Climate Group

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Gov. Steve Bullock says Montana will be the 25th state to join the U.S. Climate Alliance, a group created in response to President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the 2015 Paris agreement on climate change.

The Democratic governor made the announcement Monday as part of an executive order that also creates a 30-person council that will recommend how the state should deal with climate change.

Bullock says joining the alliance will give Montana a chance to learn from other states that are crafting their own climate change policies.

The new council will have a June 2020 deadline to recommend a plan to include how to lower greenhouse gas emissions by 2035 and ways to support innovation and research.

Montana Department of Environmental Quality Director Shaun McGrath says the aim is to make sure the state has a thoughtful, forward-thinking approach to climate change.