A judge from North Dakota reduced the $667 million in damages awarded against Greenpeace to $345 million, following protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline.

Judge James Gion from North Dakota has decided to reduce the damages awarded by a jury against Greenpeace from $667 million to $345 million, considering that part of these were noncompliant or excessive. Greenpeace was accused by Energy Transfer of spreading false information and paying protesters to disrupt the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, a controversial project that transports 40% of the oil extracted from the Bakken region.

The project has generated intense protests from environmental organizations and indigenous activists, who argued that it could contaminate water sources and exacerbate climate change. Greenpeace stated that the remaining accusations have no legal basis and that the lawsuit reflects an attempt at intimidation by a wealthy corporation. Additionally, Greenpeace has filed a lawsuit against Energy Transfer in the Netherlands, invoking a European law against abusive legal actions.