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Judge Orders Corps of Engineers to Pay North Dakota $28M for Pipeline Protest Costs

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Judge Orders Corps of Engineers to Pay North Dakota M for Pipeline Protest Costs


A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers must pay $28 million to the state of North Dakota to cover damages caused by protesters who gathered by the thousands in 2016 and 2017 to object to the since-completed Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) project. The pipeline currently carries more than a half a million gallons of crude oil a day across four states. 

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor on April 23 found that the Corps “abandoned the rule of law” when it didn’t enforce its own procedures by either forcing them to leave or requiring protesters to get a special use permit to use federally owned land for their encampment. Traynor determined that the Corps is at fault for negligence, public nuisance and civil trespass. 

In his ruling, Traynor said the Corps intentionally avoided its duty to require a mandated special use permit and falsely announced that a permit had been granted, which prevented law enforcement from removing the protestors. 

“Essentially, the Corps invited and encouraged the DAPL protestors and their violent and tumultuous behavior on and off Corps-managed land, and North Dakota had to clean up the mess,” Traynor wrote.

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“For months, North Dakota dealt with protest activity that originated from Corps-managed land, spread to other areas of North Dakota, and endangered the health and safety of North Dakota, its citizens, its property and its law enforcement officers who kept the peace at the protests,” he added.  

Protestors camped near the state’s Standing Rock Reservation to try to stop the pipeline’s construction. The project was not located on the lands of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe but ran underneath Lake Oahe, the reservations source for drinking water, which was seen as polluting and desecrating Native American land. 

Traynor called the damage to state and private property caused by the protest “unfathomable … human excrement pits, shoddily constructed structures used for housing, makeshift roadways, burnt public vehicles and violent clashes with law enforcement were common throughout the events of this case.”

North Dakota Gov. Kelly Armstrong (R) applauded the ruling as a “major win for North Dakota and the rule of law.” 

In its complaint against the Corps, filed in 2019, the state sought $38-million to cover damages caused by the encampment that it estimates reached between 5,500 and 8,000 people at its peak. 

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Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) said in a news release that the federal government reimbursed the state $10 million in 2017 to pay for some of the damages caused by the protest. In addition, Dallas-based oil and gas company and pipeline developer and operator Energy Transfer provided $15 million that same year to the state to cover protest-related costs. 

In a separate case in March, a North Dakota jury decided that the environmental nonprofit Greenpeace must pay $660 million in damages to Energy Transfer as Greenpeace took part in a publicity campaign that delayed the pipeline and increased the cost by $300 million. Greenpeace plans to appeal the verdict. 

A Corps spokesperson declined to comment on the judgment against it, saying that the Corps does not comment on litigation. The U.S. Dept. of Justice, which represented the Corps in the case, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it will appeal the decision.



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North Dakota

Runners will soon trek across North Dakota to bring awareness for families grieving the loss of a child – KVRR Local News

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Runners will soon trek across North Dakota to bring awareness for families grieving the loss of a child – KVRR Local News


FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — For more than 400 miles, 12 runners will trek across North Dakota to carry the stories of love, loss, and resilience from community to community.

“After having run Haven since 2017, the 10.15 Project came, and it just is so exciting because it’s really looking at pregnancy and infant loss and putting it in a new light. And really giving people the opportunity to do something that you can see and it’s meaningful,” said Jen Burgard, Founder and Executive Director of Haven.

The 10.15 Project was co-founded by Haven, an organization that supports grieving families. The relay begins on International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. And during the four days, the team hopes to bring awareness to families.

“It gives you pieces of solitude, of quiet, of reflection, and also a purpose. It gives you meaning, and I think endurance is one of the biggest pieces of this. It’s the endurance required to navigate pregnancy and infant loss is extreme. And I think this really mirrors that,” said Burgard.

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While many of the runners come from different fields, many have also experienced a loss themselves.

“When it happened in my family, it was kind of something we were all struck by. You realize how common it is. And you know, I want to bring light to that,” said Ty Casey, Runner and Learning and Development Specialist at TrueNorth Steel.

Casey has multiple runs planned over the next few months, but with this run in particular, he hopes this will bring awareness.

“If this is one thing that can help bring light to it and help people be more open and help people to talk about it, and take some of the grief away that would be totally ideal for us just to help out a little bit,” said Casey.

The relay begins on October 15 in Medora and will end on October 18th in Fargo.

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Behind the Badge – Spring Fever

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Spring Fever

District Game Warden Sam Feldmann

As winter begins to fade and ice fishing begins to slow, everyone gets the itch to be outside on nice days when it’s warming and the sun is shining. People are beginning to think about their garden or outdoor projects around the house they have been pondering all winter.

While others have been thinking about open water fishing, getting the boat ready, hitting the field to look for shed antlers in a favorite spot they’ve been watching deer all winter, or slipping into the field to lure a spring gobbler into shotgun range with a new call they’ve been practicing with all winter.

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With the excitement of warm weather and getting out to enjoy everything a spring day has to offer, I would like to remind everyone of a few things while enjoying what North Dakota has to offer.

This year is a registration year for all motorized watercrafts. This doesn’t just mean you have to renew your registration. It means that when you get the new red stickers sporting “28” on them that they must be affixed to both sides of the bow of the boat.

Another reminder is that if you are going shed hunting, there are a few things to remember. Shed antlers are legal to possess. This time of year, our officers receive lots of calls about shed hunters locating “dead heads,” which are animals that have died and the antlers are still attached to the skull plate.

If you happen to locate a dead head, you cannot possess it without contacting your local game warden and receiving a permit for the animal. Also, if you are going to shed hunt on posted private property or a Private Lands Opens To Sportsmen tract, you need to obtain permission to do so. Wildlife management areas and other state and federal lands are open to shed hunting, but a good rule of thumb is to check the regulations on public property before heading out.

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If you are going to be chasing turkeys this spring through the timber, there are a few things that should be remembered. Make sure you have your tag with you when you are in the field. Remember that your tag is only legal for one bearded wild turkey. If you are lucky enough to harvest a turkey you fooled into coming to your calling and decoy, you must tag it before doing anything else.

One last reminder for the spring activities. Remember that all licenses, whether it’s a hunting license or fishing license, expired March 31 and needed to be renewed as of April 1, 2026

With these few reminders out of the way, remember to have fun and enjoy what the great state of North Dakota has to offer.



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Retired Game & Fish Director facing new charge of molesting a child – KVRR Local News

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Retired Game & Fish Director facing new charge of molesting a child – KVRR Local News


MANDAN, N.D. (KVRR-KFGO) – Former North Dakota Game & Fish Director Terry Steinwand has been charged with molesting a child.

The Class “A” misdemeanor was filed after a Morton County District Court judge rejected a proposed plea agreement to a felony charge and prosecutors dismissed the charge while retaining the right to file an amended charge.

Steinwand is from Mandan. The 72-year-old is now charged with one count of sexual assault-offensive contact. The charge carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail.

Steinwand was originally charged in September, 2025, when police say he admitted to sexual misconduct.

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Steinwand worked for the Game & Fish Dept. for 40 years. He led the agency for about 15 years and retired in 2021.





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