Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Favoring East River Electric Over Dakota Energy

(Pierre, SD) — An appeals court is upholding a ruling favoring East River Electric over Dakota Energy of a long-standing legal battle. Dakota Energy is being held to its wholesale power contract until it runs out in December of 2075. The court’s decision finds that Dakota Energy has no legal route to a buyout of its contract, a stated goal of the energy cooperative when it first filed a lawsuit against East River in November of 2020. That battle has lasted almost three years, with tensions running high between Dakota Energy’s Directors, East River Electric, and Dakota Energy’s own members.