Political Sidetack: Dakota Access Pipeline: Lessons Learned

You’ve seen the footage from Standing Rock. You’ve heard the news reports. But do you really understand the legal dynamic that was at play during the months-long Dakota Access Pipeline standoff in North Dakota? In this episode of Political Sidetrack, Troy Eid, an experienced attorney on Native American consultations for energy and infrastructure, explains what happened in the lead up to the protests and how the court proceedings, particularly when it comes to tribal law, played out. He also discusses the possible lasting effects of the standoff and the rulings on the energy industry. Featured on this episode: Troy Eid is a shareholder with the law firm Greenberg Traurig in Denver, Colo. A former U.S. attorney, Eid focuses his litigation, mediation and transactional practice on government enforcement, investigations and compliance, environmental law, energy and natural resource development, and Federal Indian law and Native American and Alaska Native tribal law. He is a trusted advocate and mediator in the Rocky Mountain West and in federal, state and tribal trial and appellate courtrooms across the country. Len Vermillion (host) is group managing editor for Hart Energy’s Digital News Group. Based in Houston, he manages editorial content development for Hart Energy’s upstream and midstream websites. He has worked in publishing for more than 20 years, having led several magazines and digital products serving various industries including engineering, retail and travel. He has a bachelor’s degree in communications and journalism from the University of Pittsburgh. Joseph Markman (co-host) covers midstream operations and finance for Hart Energy’s websites. He also edits the weekly MIDSTREAM MONITOR digital newsletter and authors the NGL Frac Spread feature, which is published online and in MIDSTREAM BUSINESS. He joined Hart Energy in 2010 after more than 20 years in the daily newspaper business, many of them with the Houston Chronicle. He has also written and edited for Newsday and The Jerusalem Post, among other publications. Prior to moving to Hart Energy’s editorial division, he served as editor and communications manager for the company’s research and consulting unit, now known as Stratas Advisors. He received his bachelor's of science degree in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.