BILLINGS, Mont. – Civil liberties advocates are taking Montana officials to court to force the public release of documents detailing the government’s planned response to anticipated protests against the Keystone XL oil pipeline.
The ACLU of Montana filed a lawsuit Thursday alleging state officials are involved in a coordinated effort to crack down on protesters if the pipeline is built.
According to the lawsuit, state officials responded to a 2018 Freedom of Information Act request by producing heavily redacted documents and imposing a gag order on the material.
State officials had no immediate response to the allegations.
