A district court judge on Tuesday sided with a landowner group and found a North Dakota law related to underground storage of carbon dioxide to be unconstitutional. The case could impact a controversial pipeline project proposed by Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions.
The new amount is roughly half the $667 million that a jury had awarded to the pipeline company that brought the claims in connection with protests of an oil pipeline nearly a decade ago.
The North Dakota jury delivered a verdict in favor of Energy Transfer on most counts. Energy Transfer estimated the damages awarded at nearly $700 million. A jury verdict form with the exact total was not immediately available. The pipeline cuts across 18 counties in Iowa.
Greenpeace criticizes the lawsuit as an example of corporations abusing the legal system to go after critics. A spokesperson for the developer said the case is about Greenpeace not following the law, not free speech.
Developers are suing over massive protests against the oil pipeline that crosses Iowa
The more than 1,000-mile pipeline passes through North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa and Illinois. Its pathway includes unceded land recognized as belonging to the Sioux Nation under an 1851 treaty with the U.S. government.
Changes made by Summit Carbon Solutions to its pipeline route in North Dakota include avoiding areas where landslides are likely to occur.
Republican shies away from social issues, citing state overreach
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