A North Dakota judge on Friday finalized a $345M judgment against Greenpeace over the environmental group’s role in organizing protests against Energy Transfer’s (ET) Dakota Access pipeline.
The final judgment was in line with a decision issued in October, when the judge cut by nearly half a $667M damages award that a jury had awarded Energy Transfer (ET).
Greenpeace said it will seek a new trial and, if necessary, appeal the decision with the North Dakota Supreme Court, calling the company’s lawsuit “a blatant attempt to silence free speech.”
Construction of the pipeline, which was completed in 2017 and now transports ~40% of the oil produced in North Dakota’s Bakken region, was met with angry protests by environmental and tribal groups who said it would poison the local water supply and exacerbate climate change.