Nearly ten years after it was cast as the villain in one of America’s fiercest environmental battles, the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) has finally been vindicated. Once the target of celebrity activists and radical protest movements, DAPL now stands as a model of safety, reliability, and economic prosperity. Unsurprisingly, the national media has done little to bring this reality to light, but for the people directly affected by the pipeline, its advantages are no surprise. Today, by delivering affordable, dependable energy to Midwestern markets, supporting job creation, and bolstering local public services, DAPL fuels North Dakota’s growth and strengthens America’s energy independence.
When construction began in 2016, environmental activists, led by organizations such as Greenpeace International, spread alarmist and deceptive narratives. Without evidence, they claimed the pipeline would poison water supplies and desecrate sacred Native American lands, sparking a national media spectacle that turned North Dakota into a national flashpoint.
But nearly a decade later, the record tells a different story. Since beginning operations in 2017, the Dakota Access Pipeline has safely transported over half a million barrels a day to markets in Illinois. In March of 2025, a North Dakota jury even found Greenpeace liable for defamation, property damage, and civil conspiracy for their actions during the protest. Ironically, the only real environmental harm from the saga came from the protesters themselves, who left behind more than 48 million pounds of trash and human waste, polluting the very lands and waterways they claimed to protect.
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