A North Dakota judge has upheld Greenpeace's conviction to pay $345 million in damages to the American company Energy Transfer, operator of the controversial Dakota Access Pipeline. The decision represents a major setback for the environmental organization, which has announced its intention to appeal.
The ruling partially upholds the decision rendered in March 2025 by a jury, which found three Greenpeace entities liable on several charges, including defamation, nuisance, and trespassing. At the time, the jury awarded damages at over $665 million. The judge has since reduced the amount, finding that some damages had been counted twice, but the sum remains exceptionally high.
A dispute related to the 2016-2017 protests
Energy Transfer accused Greenpeace of playing a central role in the large-scale mobilizations organized in 2016 and 2017 against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. This project had sparked massive opposition, notably from the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, which denounced the risk it posed to sacred sites and its drinking water resources.
The protests resulted in hundreds of arrests and several injuries. The oil company claimed to have suffered significant financial losses due to the delays and disruptions caused by the protests.
During the trial, Energy Transfer's lawyers argued that the compensation should also have a deterrent effect, in order to prevent Greenpeace and other organizations from adopting similar strategies in the future.
Greenpeace denounces an attempt at intimidation
Greenpeace reacted by denouncing an attempt to "silence her" by ruining her. The NGO claims it is unable to pay such a sum and maintains that denouncing environmental damage cannot be considered a crime.
Environmental law observers believe this decision could have a broader chilling effect on environmental movements. Greenpeace has initiated proceedings in the Netherlands, where its international headquarters are located, invoking European legislation aimed at combating abusive lawsuits designed to intimidate organizations.
This is the second lawsuit filed by Energy Transfer against Greenpeace. A first complaint, filed in 2019 in a US federal court, was unsuccessful. The outcome of the appeal announced by the NGO will be crucial for the future of this case, which is emblematic of the tensions between industry and environmental movements.
