Gov. Burgum Testifies That Federal Government Enabled DAPL Protesters

BISMARCK, N.D. (KVRR) — Gov. Doug Burgum testifies in the trial over North Dakota’s claim that the federal government owes the state $38 million in damages from the Dakota Access Pipeline protests.

He said “Instead of evicting protesters from federal lands, the U.S. government enabled and encouraged protesters to use Corps land as a home base to launch their often violent and illegal protests.”

Burgum said the trial is showing the federal government knew it wasn’t following its own laws and policies but continued to play politics with the pipeline.

“We were very concerned about the life safety issue, and of course we were trying to establish the rule of law in North Dakota,” Burgum testified.

Protesters launched often combative and violent protests, which North Dakota was left to deal with on its own, spending tens of millions of dollars.

Law enforcement made 761 arrests, 709 of which were out-of-state residents during the protests in 2016 and 17.

The trial before U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Traynor is expected to conclude in mid-March.