Federal Government Settles $28 Million Lawsuit with North Dakota Over Dakota Access Pipeline Protests
The federal government has agreed to pay North Dakota nearly $28 million to settle a lawsuit related to the policing costs of protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline. The settlement amount was determined by a federal judge last year, and the government has also agreed to dismiss all appeals and issue a statement acknowledging the challenges faced by North Dakota during the protests.
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley expressed gratitude for the acknowledgment and stated that the state is now financially compensated. The settlement funds will be used to repay loans taken from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota. Governor Kelly Armstrong praised the settlement as long overdue and shifted the financial burden from taxpayers to the federal government.
The U.S. Justice Department, while disputing the court's legal analysis, acknowledged that more could have been done to reduce the impacts of the protests on North Dakota residents. The protests, which took place in 2016 and 2017, involved thousands of people camping and demonstrating near the pipeline's Missouri River crossing, leading to confrontations with law enforcement.
The settlement comes after a year of legal proceedings, during which the federal government was found liable for negligence, civil trespass, and public nuisance. The protests, which attracted supporters from around the world, resulted in numerous arrests and cleanup efforts to remove tons of trash from the protest camps.
The Dakota Access pipeline has been operational since 2017, transporting a significant portion of U.S. daily oil production. Despite final approval for the pipeline's Missouri River crossing, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe continues to advocate for their treaty rights, safe water, and accountability from the government and corporations involved in the project.