North Dakota

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

Published

7 months ago

April 25, 2025

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.

“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.

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

Agristo receives $250,000 from state to develop engineering plan

Published

7 hours ago

November 28, 2025

Press Room

GRAND FORKS — Agristo, the Belgian potato processor, has been awarded $250,000 from the state to develop engineering plans for its planned Grand Forks processing facility.

The $450 million project, when completed and operational in 2028, is expected to add some 350 jobs to the area.

Agristo North Dakota LLC received the award as part of a round of funding totaling $926,800 announced by North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring Friday morning, Nov. 28. Other organizations to receive Agricultural Products Utilization Commission awards are:

Independent Data Management, of Fargo, was awarded $250,000 to improve the MyAgData electronic acreage reporting system;
The North Dakota Department of Agriculture was awarded $85,000 to help North Dakota companies promote their products at domestic and international trade shows;
ND Malting and Hops, Inc., of Williston, was awarded $76,800 for marketing;
Triple 8 Assets LLC, of Williston, was awarded $160,000 to establish a laboratory;
Rope and Oak Nature Park was awarded $40,000 to purchase equipment to establish an agritourism park near Hickson, an unincorporated township in Cass County;
Kathrein Beef Company, of New England, North Dakota, was awarded $25,000 to help establish a ranch-to-market beef business; and
Prospect Growth, Inc., of Fargo was awarded $40,000 to further develop a nanoparticle-based fertilizer.

Also Friday, the state Department of Agriculture announced $1 million in Agriculture Diversification and Development awards. Recipients are:

Anchor Ingredients received $300,000 to upgrade three Hillsboro plants with new equipment to process flour and oat hulls;
Cavendish Farms received $500,000 for the expansion of its Jamestown potato processing facility;
Tracey Hauck, of Richardton, North Dakota, in Stark County, received $150,000 to build cattle confinement barn; and
Weinlaeder Seed Company, of Drayton, received $50,000 to procure lab equipment for the expansion of a food-grade processing facility.

Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.

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North Dakota

Senators Cramer and Hoeven share Thanksgiving message

Published

1 day ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

Senators Cramer and Hoeven share Thanksgiving message

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – Senator John Hoeven (R-ND) issued the following statement Thursday to wish all North Dakotans a happy Thanksgiving.

“Happy Thanksgiving to the people of North Dakota and families across our nation. Today we give thanks for the liberties we enjoy, the opportunities our country provides, and the hardworking spirit that defines our state. May this day bring you together with loved ones and renew a sense of gratitude and peace. From Mikey, me, and our family, we wish you a blessed and happy Thanksgiving,” said Hoeven.

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND) also released the following Thanksgiving Day video message.

“Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, reminds us ‘in all things, be thankful.’ The Pilgrims embodied this spirit, even in the hardest of times. Today gives us a chance to recommit ourselves to the spirit of gratitude that’s with us always. My family wishes you and yours a great, festive, and celebratory Thanksgiving,” said Cramer on social media.

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North Dakota

North Dakota offering discounted Lyft rides for Thanksgiving holiday

Published

2 days ago

November 27, 2025

Press Room

North Dakota offering discounted Lyft rides for Thanksgiving holiday

FARGO, N.D. (Valley News Live) – North Dakota will offer discounted Lyft rides through its ND Sober Ride program during the Thanksgiving holiday to keep impaired drivers off state roads.

The Vision Zero program will provide ride codes valid from Wednesday through Saturday, or while codes last. You can use Lyft code “VZTURKEY25” to receive $10 off their ride in areas where Lyft service is available.

During the recent Halloween campaign, about 150 discounted Lyft rides were used, according to program officials.

Lyft codes are unique to each campaign and can only be used once per user.

Codes and additional program information can be found at VisionZero.ND.gov.

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