A judge in the US state of North Dakota has upheld a $345 million judgment against Greenpeace in a case over the organization's role in protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline. Reuters reports.
However, the amount is only about half as large as the $667 million award to Energy Transfer in March last year.
The case stems from widespread protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline near the Standing Rock reservation in 2016 and 2017. The pipeline currently transports about 40 percent of the of oil from the 'Bakken' region of North Dakota. The protests were organized by environmental organizations and representatives of indigenous peoples, who warned of the risk of contamination of drinking water and worsening climate change.
Energy Transfer filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace in federal court in 2017, accusing the organization, among other things, of spreading false information about the project and of paying protesters to disrupt construction.
In a written comment on the ruling, Energy Transfer calls the decision:
"An important step in this legal process to hold Greenpeace accountable for its illegal and harmful actions against us during the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline."
Greenpeace has announced that the organization will request a new trial and, if necessary, take the case to the North Dakota Supreme Court.
- Speaking out against companies that cause environmental damage should never be seen as illegal. It is guaranteed by the US Constitution and is essential for the protection of communities and the health of democracy. This ruling is a setback, but the movement to defend people and the planet has always faced setbacks and resistance, and Energy Transfer will fail in its goal of silencing its critics,” said Marco Simons, acting general counsel for Greenpeace USA and the Greenpeace Fund.
In February, Greenpeace also filed a lawsuit against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands, citing a European law that aims to limit lawsuits aimed at harassing or silencing activists. That case is still pending.
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