Delegation seeks settlement of Dakota Access protest costs
Posted Jun 11, 2019 10:14 am.
BISMARCK, N.D. — North Dakota’s congressional delegation is calling on President Donald Trump’s administration to address the state’s year-old request for $38 million to cover the cost of policing protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
The Bismarck Tribune reports that U.S. Sens. John Hoeven and Kevin Cramer and U.S. Rep. Kelly Armstrong sent a letter Thursday urging Attorney General William Barr and Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan to settle the state’s claim.
North Dakota’s attorney general filed a claim against the Army Corps of Engineers last year, accusing the agency of letting protesters illegally camp on federal land in North Dakota in 2016 and 2017. It also argued the Corps didn’t maintain law and order.
The delegation is asking Barr and Shanahan to recognize the state’s public safety response during the prolonged and sometimes violent protests.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com
The Associated Press
