A Montana court earlier this month ruled for young plaintiffs who argued that the state’s energy laws violate their constitutional rights to a safe environment, but the ruling has drawn scorn from state and energy officials, who expect it to be appealed.

The case was filed originally in 2020 by 16 plaintiffs, who now range in age from five to 22. According to the 103-page ruling, the Montana Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) is unconstitutional as it “forbids the state and its agents from considering the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions or climate change in their environmental reviews.”

The ruling was by the Montana First Judicial District Court for Lewis and Clark counties, Judge Kathy Seeley. The court said the state’s fossil-fuel based energy system, as defined in...