We are part of The Trust Project.
BISMARCK — The North Dakota Supreme Court swatted down a last-gasp effort by the developers of the Dakota Access Pipeline to keep internal documents out of the public eye.
The high court ruled in late April that five-year-old documents connected to a partnership between Dakota Access Pipeline operator Energy Transfer and a private security firm are public record.
Less than a month later, justices rejected Energy Transfer's request for a rehearing of the case. Petitions for rehearings are rarely approved.
The Supreme Court's April decision upheld a district court ruling that rejected an effort by Energy Transfer to keep private 16,000 documents pertaining to a partnership formed with security contractor TigerSwan during the pipeline protests near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in 2016 and 2017.
In the unanimous decision, the Supreme Court affirmed that Energy Transfer did not present any legitimate exemptions that would keep the trove of documents from being a public record.
ADVERTISEMENT
First Look, the publisher of nonprofit news outlet The Intercept, sued a state regulatory board to access the records. Forum Communications Company, which owns Forum News Service, joined First Look with an amicus brief in Energy Transfer's case before the North Dakota Supreme Court.
A spokesperson for Energy Transfer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
