Feds, North Dakota to negotiate pipeline policing costs

BISMARCK, N.D. – Federal and state lawyers will meet next week to negotiate a settlement for money that North Dakota claims it spent policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

North Dakota filed a lawsuit two years ago seeking to recover more than $38 million in damages from the months-long pipeline protests almost five years ago.

The state argues the Corps of Engineers allowed and sometimes encouraged protesters to illegally camp without a federal permit.

The Corps has said protesters weren’t evicted due to free speech reasons. The Corps has argued it has “limited authority” to enforce rules on land it manages.