Misguided Greenpeace Interference May Cost Them Greenbacks

The leftists at Greenpeace are learning a lesson in restraint that may put an end to their U.S. operations. Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of environmental activists. On their website, they describe themselves as using peaceful protest and creative confrontation to expose global environmental problems and promote solutions essential to a green, just, and joyful future for people and our planet.

Maybe, and maybe not. Their description failed to include adjectives like overbearing, disruptive, and criminal.

A jury in North Dakota ruled on Wednesday that Greenpeace is responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. This ruling is based on accusations of defamation against an energy company and its involvement in disruptive protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline project in 2016 and 2017, according to multiple reports.

In 2019, Energy Transfer, the company developing the pipeline, filed a lawsuit against Greenpeace USA, Greenpeace International, and Greenpeace Fund, seeking $300 million in damages. The lawsuit claims that the activist group defamed the company and encouraged criminal acts against the pipeline by protestors opposed to the project, according to The Associated Press. Greenpeace has previously stated that a $300 million judgment against it could jeopardize the group’s operations in the United States.

According to the Washington Post, the award exceeded $300 million. Instead, Greenpeace is required to pay Energy Transfer $667 million.

A spokesperson for Energy Transfer issued a statement that was reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation.

“We would like to thank the judge and the jury for the incredible amount of time and effort they dedicated to this trial. While we are pleased that Greenpeace has been held accountable for their actions against us, this win is really for the people of Mandan and throughout North Dakota who had to live through the daily harassment and disruptions caused by the protesters who were funded and trained by Greenpeace. It is also a win for all law-abiding Americans who understand the difference between the right to free speech and breaking the law. That the disrupters have been held responsible is a win for all of us.”

Greenpeace called the lawsuit an attack against First Amendment-protected speech, though the jury in Mandan, N.D., evidently did not agree.

In a statement shared with the Daily Caller News Foundation, Deepa Padmanabha, a senior legal consultant for Greenpeace USA, said:

“What we saw over these three weeks was Energy Transfer’s blatant disregard for the voices of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. And while they also tried to distort the truth about Greenpeace’s role in the protests, we instead reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to non-violence in every action we take. After almost eight years, we were proud to share our story with the people of Mandan and beyond.”

Energy Transfer disputes the allegations. In its lawsuit, the company claims that Greenpeace hired outside activists to attend the development site, trained them, provided materials to construct blockades, and spread false information about the pipeline as part of a larger effort to obstruct the project.

Kelcy Warren, the co-founder of Energy Transfer and a supporter of President Trump, once stated that climate activists should be “removed from the gene pool.” He believes that Greenpeace is responsible for costing his company millions of dollars and delaying the construction of the pipeline.

According to the Wall Street Journal, in a 2017 interview, Warren had this to say:

“Everybody is afraid of these environmental groups and the fear that it may look wrong if you fight back with these people, but what they did to us is wrong, and they’re gonna pay for it.”

Greenpeace is another example of a leftist organization that outgrew its usefulness if it ever had any. Radicals have an exaggerated sense of self-importance and a profound lack of self-awareness, and it’s comforting to see one such group held accountable for the damage they caused.