Standing Rock Chair: Energy Transfer's Lawsuit, 'Frivolous' Seeks to Silence Tribe, Allies

Standing Rock Chairwoman: Energy Transfer's Lawsuit Against Greenpeace: 'Frivolous,' Seeks to Silence Tribe and Allies

"The Dakota Access Pipeline, referred to in our prophecy as the black snake, has come to harm our land, our water and our people." -- Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, March 4, 2025

STANDING ROCK NATION, North Dakota -- In the case now before the district court in North Dakota, Energy Transfer versus Greenpeace, Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire blasted Energy Transfer with the facts and made it clear that the Standing Rock Nation led the resistance to Dakota Access Pipeline.

Chairwoman Alkire said Dakota Access Pipeline destroyed burial grounds, brought in security forces and law enforcement that brutalized peaceful protesters, and has already had a spill at Standing Rock -- while the pipeline is concealing its devastating safety records.

"From the beginning, Energy Transfer has engaged in a security battle, secrecy battle and propaganda battle against our Tribe," Alkire said.

"It promotes lies and propaganda to discredit our Tribe and our good faith concerns with DAPL’s impacts on our Reservation environment, and the global climate. Part of the attack on our Tribe is to attack our allies."

"Today, Energy Transfer is taking Greenpeace to court, frivolously alleging defamation and seeking money damages, designed to shut down all voice supporting Standing Rock."

"The case is an attempt to silence our Tribe about the truth of what happened at Standing Rock, and the threat posed by DAPL to our land, our water and our people. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe will not be silenced."

"DAPL does cross Sioux Nation treaty and aboriginal land for hundreds of miles; there was violence by law enforcement and Energy Transfer security guards and Tribal burials were destroyed."

"They polluted our water before DAPL even went on line. Upon going on line in July 2017, it was reported that at least 356 gallons of oil were released into the environment. So it is important to question DAPL propaganda about how safe the pipeline is."

The trial of Energy Transfer v Greenpeace is ongoing, and is expected to last five weeks. Energy Transfer has called its first witnesses, including Greenpeace staff and a Lakota organizer. The media reports on the biased jury and the petition to North Dakota Supreme Court to have the trial moved out of Mandan, located in Morton County, North Dakota. The district judge refused to allow a public livestream, and refused to recluse himself.

Greenpeace said the $300 million lawsuit aims to bankrupt and shut down Greenpeace, while denying that the resistance to the pipeline was Indigenous-led.

Read Standing Rock Chairwoman Janet Alkire's statement at Censored News
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2025/03/standing-rock-chair-energy-transfers.html

In the news:

North Dakota Monitor's reporter Mary Steurer reports daily from the courtroom:

Lakota Witness: Most Tribal Nations didn't know who Greenpeace was
https://northdakotamonitor.com/tag/energy-transfer-v-greenpeace/

Greenpeace asks court to move trial to Fargo
https://northdakotamonitor.com/tag/energy-transfer-v-greenpeace/

Daily court coverage: Greenpeace staff testifies
https://northdakotamonitor.com/tag/energy-transfer-v-greenpeace/

The Guardian: Most jurors in pipeline case against Greenpeace have fossil fuel industry ties
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/27/greenpeace-dapl-jurors