North Dakota Secures Final $27.8M from Feds in DAPL Protest Cost Settlement
The state's total recovery nears $38 million, closing a long-running dispute over law enforcement and emergency response expenses from the 2016-17 demonstrations.
North Dakota will recover nearly $38 million from the federal government for expenses related to the massive 2016-17 protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), according to a final settlement announced this past week. The agreement requires the federal government to pay the state $27.8 million, which, combined with a previously secured $10 million payment, brings the total reimbursement close to $38 million, as reported by North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley.
The settlement resolves a long-running lawsuit where the state argued taxpayers should not bear the financial burden of law enforcement, emergency response, and cleanup during the nearly 10-month demonstrations. The protests centered near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation and federal lands managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, opposing the pipeline's route.
According to state officials, North Dakota's emergency response lasted more than 230 days and involved 178 response agencies from multiple counties. Authorities reported making 761 arrests during the protests, including 709 involving individuals from outside North Dakota.
The Dakota Access Pipeline is a critical piece of infrastructure for the Bakken formation, transporting crude oil from North Dakota's oil fields to Illinois. The project drew international attention and opposition in 2016, with protesters arguing it threatened tribal water supplies and sacred sites. Despite the protests, which saw a major camp established on April 1, 2016, and a temporary denial of a key easement by the Army Corps on December 4, 2016, the pipeline was completed and entered service in 2017 following a reversal of that decision under the Trump administration.
In a statement, Attorney General Wrigley credited the work of his office and the efforts of former Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem, who pursued the reimbursement before his death in 2022. The financial recovery closes a significant chapter for the state related to the pipeline's contentious construction period.
For Bakken operators and the state's oil industry, the DAPL has been a vital conduit for getting product to market. The final settlement removes a lingering financial claim from the state related to the pipeline's development, providing a definitive resolution to the cost dispute that arose from the historic protests.
Source
Bing News
