U.S. to Pay North Dakota $28M in Final DAPL Protest Cost Settlement

The federal government will pay North Dakota approximately $28 million to settle a lawsuit over state costs incurred during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, according to an announcement from state officials. The settlement, announced Thursday, June 11, brings a final close to the nearly seven-year legal battle.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley stated the agreement prevents both parties from spending more public money on litigation. The state alleged that the federal government caused the 2016 and 2017 protests in south-central North Dakota to grow by unlawfully allowing demonstrators to camp on federal land managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

The $28 million settlement matches the amount awarded to the state by U.S. District Court Judge Dan Traynor in 2025. The federal government had appealed that judgment but agreed to dismiss the appeal as part of this final settlement.

As part of the agreement, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a statement holding the Obama administration responsible for harms North Dakota incurred. The DOJ stated that while it disagrees with Traynor's legal findings, it "acknowledges in hindsight that, under the Obama Administration, the federal government could have done more to reduce the impacts to the people of North Dakota from the Dakota Access Pipeline protests."

The Department of Justice's statement also notes that some protesters engaged in unlawful and violent behavior. It maintained that the federal government's choice not to forcibly remove protesters from federal land was made for safety reasons "to avoid further escalation," but recognized that "this difficult choice had painful consequences for North Dakota and many of its residents."

Attorney General Wrigley said North Dakota sought the formal statement as a public acknowledgement of wrongdoing. “An important chapter in our state’s history has been rendered indisputable and closed,” he said at a Capitol press conference.

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a critical piece of infrastructure for moving crude oil from the Bakken formation to market. The prolonged protests near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in 2016-17 created significant security and operational challenges for the region, diverting extensive state and local law enforcement resources.

The reimbursement of $27.8 million for law enforcement and other costs provides financial closure for North Dakota taxpayers. The settlement resolves a major point of contention between the state and federal government regarding the management of protests that directly impacted Bakken energy infrastructure development.