A North Dakota judge is preparing to finalize one of the most consequential judgments ever entered against a major environmental organization—a ruling that could reverberate far beyond the prairie.
In Bismarck, Judge James Gion signaled Tuesday that he will formally order Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace Fund, and Greenpeace International to pay approximately $345 million to Energy Transfer and its subsidiary Dakota Access, according to reports.
The damages arise from a March 2025 jury verdict tied to protests surrounding the Dakota Access Pipeline—the 1,172-mile oil line that sparked nationwide demonstrations in 2016 and 2017 near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation.
Jurors initially awarded nearly $667 million in compensatory and punitive damages, finding Greenpeace entities liable on claims including defamation, civil conspiracy, and trespass. Last year, Judge Gion cut that figure roughly in half, citing duplicative damages, insufficient evidence for certain claims, and statutory caps on punitive awards. The revised total: about $345 million.
Tuesday’s filing reaffirms that reduced amount. Appeals to the North Dakota Supreme Court are widely expected.
The dispute traces back nearly a decade to Indigenous-led resistance to the pipeline’s route. Protesters warned of water contamination and treaty violations. Greenpeace supported the demonstrations but maintains it played only a limited, peaceful advocacy role.
Energy Transfer argued the organization went further—orchestrating unlawful disruptions, harming the company’s reputation, and contributing to costly construction delays.
Greenpeace has labeled the case a “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP)” and warned the damages could push its U.S. arm toward bankruptcy. The group has pledged to appeal and has launched related proceedings in the Netherlands under the European Union’s anti-SLAPP directive, seeking to block enforcement or recover costs. Energy Transfer has challenged that effort as an attempt to sidestep U.S. courts.
The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which led the original opposition, is not a party to the litigation.
Supporters of the verdict call it long-overdue accountability for protest tactics that crossed into unlawful interference. Critics see a chilling precedent for environmental activism and political speech.
No payment timeline has been set.
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