Federal Government Settles $28 Million Lawsuit with North Dakota Over Dakota Access Pipeline Protest Policing Costs

The federal government has agreed to pay North Dakota $27.8 million to settle a lawsuit stemming from the costs of policing massive protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in 2016-2017. The settlement amount matches a federal judge's determination after trial, and the Justice Department agreed to dismiss all appeals and issue a statement recognizing the impacts North Dakota residents and law enforcement endured. The Justice Department acknowledged in its statement that the Obama administration could have done more to reduce impacts from the protests, which included unlawful conduct and confrontational violence, but noted the decision not to forcibly remove protesters from federal land was made to avoid further escalation. The state's seven-month response involved 178 agencies, resulted in 761 arrests, and required extensive cleanup. North Dakota originally sued in 2019 seeking $38 million, with the judge subtracting previous federal contributions and a pipeline company donation when calculating the final award.