The operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer, is attempting to drag Indigenous and environmental justice advocates into this meritless lawsuit to stifle dissenting voices.

Protect the Protest Task Force in San Francisco
For decades, the powerful have attempted to silence their critics by filing meritless lawsuits intended to intimidate public watchdogs and advocacy groups. This repressive tactic called “Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs)” is an abuse of the court system and a violation of the First Amendment rights of those who speak truth to power. That’s why a wide range of organizations across different sectors, including the ACLU, Greenpeace, and others, launched the Protect the Protest task force taking aim at corporations and people in positions of power who use SLAPPs to try to limit free speech and silence critics. The Protect the Protest task force assembled on the legendary Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise ship (once seized by President Putin in Russia for standing up against oil drilling in the Arctic) for a panel discussion by SLAPP suit survivors on why these legal intimidation practices remain a threat to good corporate governance and free speech.

The operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer, is attempting to drag Indigenous and environmental justice advocates into this meritless lawsuit to stifle dissenting voices.

Washington, D.C. (November 27, 2023) – In response to recent third party subpoenas issued by Energy Transfer, which target Indigenous and environmental justice advocates, Ebony Twilley Martin, Executive Director of Greenpeace USA, said: “The operator of the Dakota Access Pipeline, Energy Transfer, is attempting to drag Indigenous and environmental justice advocates into this meritless lawsuit to stifle dissenting voices.

“For over six years, Greenpeace USA has been fighting lawsuits brought by Energy Transfer over the Indigenous-led resistance movement at Standing Rock.  This type of legal bullying, known as Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, is part of the corporate playbook to silence and intimidate dissenting voices who lack the financial means to fight these lawsuits.  Energy Transfer is now attempting to expand this playbook by targeting Indigenous and environmental justice activists through the use of third party subpoenas.   Now is the moment for us all to come together to send a message to Energy Transfer, and other corporations considering this tactic, that we will not be silenced and we will not tolerate legal bullying.”

“These legal actions are an insult to the many Indigenous water protectors who continue to lead the resistance to the Dakota Access Pipeline and the continual threats and degradation of their historic lands. These attacks are a threat to our First Amendment rights to speak out, a threat to Indigenous rights, and a threat to the rights of nature. We will not let this meritless lawsuit silence us and distract our movements from all our work to win a green, just, and joyful future for all.”

Contact: Gujari Singh, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected], (631) 404-9977

Greenpeace USA is part of a global network of independent campaigning organizations that use peaceful protest and creative communication to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions that are essential to a green and peaceful future. Greenpeace USA is committed to transforming the country’s unjust social, environmental, and economic systems from the ground up to address the climate crisis, advance racial justice, and build an economy that puts people first. Learn more at www.greenpeace.org/usa.