BACK FROM TIME TO TIME AND KEEP US POSTED.

>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, IT WAS AN HONOR.

>> Cathy: THANK YOU.

>> Eric: ENVIRONMENTALISTS WON A BIG COURT CASE THIS WEEK IN MONTANA THAT HAS POTENTIAL IMPACT ACROSS THE NATION AND HERE IN MINNESOTA.

YOUNG PEOPLE WERE BEHIND THIS LONGSHOT LEGAL EFFORT.

REPORTER MARY LAHAMMER FOUND A CONNECTION TO THAT STORY THAT INVOLVE RAISE FAMILIAR FACE FROM MINNESOTA BROADCASTING HISTORY.

>> WE'RE GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE HISTORIC CLIMATE CHANGE CASE OUT OF MINNESOTA WITH A MINNESOTA CONNECTION.

YOU ARE OUR MINNESOTA CONNECTION, TELL US HOW YOU ARE RELATED TO MINNESOTA AND WEATHER AND CLIMATE.

>> I'M A ST. LOUIS PARK GRADUATE OF THE CLASS OF 2003, GREW UP IN MINNEAPOLIS AND THE TWIN CITIES METRO AREA, AND MY GRANDFATHER WAS BARRY THE WEATHER MAN.

>> ONE TO THREE INCHES OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN THE ARROWHEAD REGION.

>> WE HAVE TO PAUSE BECAUSE OUR VIEWERS LOVED LOVED LOVED BARRY THE WEATHER MAN.

WE HAD HIM ON I THINK ON HIS 60TH ANNIVERSARY AND HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME.

>> YOU KNOW, IT'S SO FUNNY BECAUSE HE JUST HAD THIS LONGEVITY IN THE MARKET.

A LOT OF TIMES PEOPLE COME AND GO AND YOU MAYBE FORGET ABOUT THEM.

BUT HONESTLY UP UNTIL WHEN HE DIED IF I WENT ANYWHERE WITH HIM IN THE TWIN CITIES PEOPLE WOULD STILL STOP HIM.

>> BARRY'S GRANDDAUGHTER MARITSA WAS BORN AT 12:45 YESTERDAY.

>> HE AND YOU HAVE A CONNECTION TO MONTANA AND YOUR TV STATION.

YOU WENT INTO THE AIR FORCE AND LEARNED METEOROLOGY, AND HE DID SOME RADIO OUT HERE AND HIS VERY FIRST TV STATION WAS MISSOULA IN WHAT ENDED UP BEING MY FIRST TV STATION.

PROUD LEGACY THERE.

>> IT MAKES YOU VERY WELL PREPARED FOR THIS HUGE HISTORIC NATIONAL IF NOT INTERNATIONAL STORY.

>> WE'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS FOR A LONG TIME, THIS LAWSUIT WAS INTRODUCED FIRST IN 2020 AND MONTANA'S LEGISLATIVE SESSION, IT HAD A LOT OF ATTENTION.

I'M SURE SOME OF YOUR VIEWERS MAYBE REMEMBER SOME OF THE BIG FIGHTS OVER OUR TRANS LAWMAKER ZOEY ZEPHYR.

IN HE LEGISLATURE THIS YEAR THEY PASSED A BILL SIGNED BY GOVERNOR BASICALLY AMENDED THE MONTANA ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT O IT PROHIBITED THE STATE FROM CONSIDERING GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN ANY PERMITTING DECISIONS.

WHAT'S INTERESTING IS THAT WAS JUST THIS YEAR IN THE LEGISLATURE BUT THIS CASE WAS FILED LIKE I SAID IN 2020.

FOR NOW THIS DECISION INVALIDATES THAT LAW, BUT WE'RE GOING TO SEE A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF THIS BECAUSE AS ALWAYS WE EXPECT FULL APPEALS FROM THE STATE OPPONENTS TO THIS HAVE ALREADY SPOKEN OUT AND CALLED THE JUDGE AN ACTIVIST JUDGE THAT SIDED WITH LEFT WING ENVIRONMENTALISTS.

>> AND THEY'RE APPEALING ALREADY O YOUR STATE SUPREME COURT, PLANNING TO DO SO.

WHAT IS THE POLITICAL MAKE-UP OF YOUR STATE SUPREME COURT?

MONTANA HAS HAD SOME PURPOSISH HUES IN THE PAST.

>> IT'S GOING TO BE INTERESTING TO SEE HOW IT SHAKES OUT.

BECAUSE LIKE NATIONALLY, PEOPLE WHO MAY BE CONSIDERED LEANING RIGHT OR REPUBLICAN BEFORE ARE NOW BEING CALLED RINOS OR LEFT OF CENTER.

IMMEDIATELY THE STATE WAS TRYING TO GET A STAY ON THIS DECISION WHILE THEY GO THROUGH THAT APPEALS PROCESS.

IT REALLY COULD HAVE SOME MAJOR IMPACTS WHEN IT COMES TO THE FUTURE OF HOLDING GOVERNMENTS AND COMPANIES ACCOUNTABLE WHEN IT COMES TO CLIMATE CHANGE.

YOU KNOW, THERE HAVE BEEN MANY MANY LAWSUITS ABOUT THIS ISSUE, FEW HAVE GONE TO TRIAL AND SO NOW THIS WILL REALLY BE CONSIDERED SOMEWHAT OF A BUILDING BLOCK FOR SIMILAR CASES THAT WE XPECT TO SEE COMING FORWARD IN OTHER STATES.

>> YEAH, DEFINITE REVERBERATIONS NATIONALLY AND COULD BE PRECEDENT, RIGHT, FOR OTHER CASES.

THE OTHER PART OF THIS THAT I THINK HAS STOOD OUT AND BEEN SO UNIQUE IS WHO THE LITIGANTS ARE.

THESE ARE KIDS, THESE ARE YOUNG PEOPLE.

FOR YOU AS A TV REPORTER WHAT STOOD OUT ABOUT THAT AND MADE THE STORY RESONATE THERE?

>> NOT ONLY AM I A TV REPORTER IN MONTANA BUT I'M A MOM AND I HAVE AN 11-YEAR-OLD WHO WILL TELL YOU HIS NUMBER ONE ANXIETY IS CLIMATE CHANGE AND WHAT IT MIGHT MEAN FOR HIS FUTURE.

SO MANY OF THE PLAINTIFFS HERE HAD SIMILAR CONCERNS AND THE YOUNG GIRL NAMED IN THIS SHE COMES FROM A RANCHING FAMILY AND SHE EVEN SAID HER GENERATION FEELS A LOT OF PRESSURE, LIKE A BURDEN TO CHANGE SOMETHING.

>> JUMP IN, THAT'S PART OF YOUR COVERAGE, YOU KIND OF SPECIALIZE IN WILDFIRES THERE.

>> RIGHT, I'VE DONE A TON OF WORK WITH WILDFIRES AND EVERYBODY WHO IS AN EXPERT IN FIRE SCIENCE WILL TELL YOU THE FIRES THAT THEY'RE FIGHTING NOW ARE JUST RADICALLY DIFFERENT AND I'M SURE A LOT OF YOUR VIEWERS WILL BE FAMILIAR WITH FLATHEAD LAKE.

FLATHEAD LAKE IS DOWN MORE THAN TWO FEET OF WHAT'S CONSIDERED FULL POOL.

>> MINNESOTA HAD AN ALL TIME RECORD FOR POOR AIR QUALITY.

>> BECAUSE OF THAT WILDFIRE SMOKE.

>> WE ARE FEELING THAT AND THINKING BECOME IT IN A DIFFERENT WAY.

>> WHEN THAT HAPPENS IT WAS FASCINATING TO ME, I LIVE WITH WILDFIRE SMOKE IN MONTANA PRETTY MUCH EVERY YEAR, SOME YEARS WORSE THAN OTHERS.

TO SEE MY HOMETOWN OF MINNEAPOLIS LOOK LIKE BASICALLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE IN THE SMACK DAB MIDDLE OF WILDFIRE SEASON WAS SHOCKING.

>> SO YOU'RE SEEING CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECT EVERYDAY LIFE THERE.

>> THAT'S WHAT THESE KIDS WERE SAYING, THIS IS ALREADY HAVING AN IMPACT ON OUR QUALITY OF LIFE.

THINK OF ALL THE REASONS WE LIVE N MONTANA, THE SAME