Because Greenpeace USA showed solidarity with protests against the highly controversial Dakota Access Pipeline, the oil company behind the project, Energy Transfer (ET), sued the environmental organization. As a result, a North Dakota jury reached a verdict and a judge in the first instance found Greenpeace USA liable for $660 million worth of damages. The case is obviously a SLAPP suit (“Strategic Lawsuit against Public Participation”) which ET filed to silence a strong voice critical of its climate-wrecking business.
Regine Richter, Energy Campaigner at Urgewald, comments, “This dangerous ruling sent shockwaves through civil society around the globe. Instead of working on the long overdue transition away from its climate-busting business model, an oil company attempts to silence its righteous critics. The only answer to such scare tactics is total solidarity. ET’s behavior should be a red flag for all of its financiers who are committed to free speech, democratic values, and the environment. Clients who recklessly attack critical voices have no place in your portfolios!”
#WeWillNotBeSilenced
Background
According to Urgewald’s Global Oil & Gas Exit List (GOGEL), almost all of Energy Transfer LP’s revenue comes from fossil fuel business. The company is planning 610 kilometers of new pipelines as well as LNG exports to the tune of 16.5 million tons per year. The pipeline projects make ET an essential part of the US fracking industry, which poses a clear and present danger to both human health and the environment. Fossil fuel expansion of this kind puts the Paris Climate goals at risk and fires up global heating, in addition to its severe consequences for local communities and nature.
