Lawsuit claims Montana residents' rights violated by state

BILLINGS — A Bozeman-based conservation organization is joined by nine Montanans in a legal battle with the state, arguing over House Bill 407, which bans citizens and local governments from regulating single-use plastic. Two of the nine Montanans are Billings residents. "Plastics are directly harming people's health," said Katie Harrison, a plaintiff in the lawsuit, on Thursday. Cottonwood Environmental Law Center, a Bozeman-based nonprofit conservation organization, along with nine Montanans, filed suit against the state in late November. “(House Bill) 407 is considered the ban on bans,” Harrison said. "Unfortunately,...