An Idaho Senate panel has agreed to exclude several references to climate change in the state's newest proposed science standards.
The standards haven't been updated since 2001 and have been criticized as vague. The House Education Committee sparked controversy earlier this month by removing several key mentions to climate change and human impact on the environment from the proposed standards. The amended rules needed to be adopted by the Senate panel in order to be implemented.
The Senate Education Committee heard testimony from nearly two dozen people over the past week mostly in favor of adopting the rules in whole.
However, the panel approved the revised standards on Monday with just two Democratic lawmakers opposed.
The original version had included the need to reduce and monitor human impacts on climate change. It was also required students understanding that human activity can disrupt ecosystems and threaten certain species.