Board: Pipeline security company operated without license

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota regulators are suing a North Carolina-based private security firm hired by the developer of the disputed Dakota Access oil pipeline, alleging it operated in the state without a license and has continued doing so since being denied one.

North Dakota's Private Investigative and Security Board has asked a state judge to stop TigerSwan's armed workers from continuing to monitor the pipeline system. It also is seeking attorney fees and administrative fines that could total thousands of dollars from the company and President James Reese for operating without a license, a misdemeanor carrying a potential sentence of 30 days in jail and a $1,500 fine.

TigerSwan didn't answer phone calls or respond to an email seeking comment Wednesday. The Texas-based pipeline developer, Energy Transfer Partners, also didn't immediately reply to a request for comment.

The pipeline began commercial operations June 1, moving oil from western North Dakota to a distribution point in Illinois where it can be shipped to the Gulf Coast. Four Sioux tribes in the Dakotas are still fighting in federal court in Washington, D.C., hoping to persuade a judge to shut down the line.

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