US judge reduces Standing Rock verdict against Greenpeace to $345 million

By Blake Brittain

Oct 29 (Reuters) - A judge in North Dakota on Wednesday slashed by almost half jury-awarded damages of about $667 million against environmental advocacy group Greenpeace over its role in protests against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline.

State District Judge James Gion said the amount Greenpeace owes pipeline company Energy Transfer ET.N should be limited to $345 million, after finding that some of the damages were duplicative or excessive.

Greenpeace's interim general counsel, Marco Simons, said the group still believes the "remaining claims are legally unfounded" and the case "has always been about a wealthy corporation using the legal system to intimidate its critics and muzzle protesters who threaten its business model."

Energy Transfer said in a statement it was "pleased that Greenpeace continues to be held responsible for its actions," and that it intends to appeal the decision to cut its damages.

The Dakota Access project near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation began in 2016 and was completed in 2017.

Construction of the pipeline, which now transports roughly 40% of the oil produced in North Dakota's Bakken region, was met with fierce protests by environmental and tribal advocacy groups who said it would poison the local water supply and exacerbate climate change.

Texas-based Energy Transfer first sued Greenpeace in a federal court in North Dakota in 2017, accusing it of spreading falsehoods about the project and paying protesters to disrupt construction. The North Dakota jury delivered its verdict in March, including damages for defamation, trespassing and conspiracy.

Greenpeace countersued Energy Transfer in the Netherlands in February under a European law aimed at curbing lawsuits filed to harass or silence activists. That lawsuit is ongoing.