Canadian man sentenced to 25 years for shootings that damaged pipeline and power station in Dakotas

The words Department of Justice are displayed at the FBI field office in Portland, Ore., Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane) (Jenny Kane/AP)

BISMARCK, N.D. — A Canadian man has been sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for shootings at an oil pipeline in South Dakota and an electrical substation in North Dakota that caused US$1.7 million in damages after a judge found that his crimes met the definition of terrorism.

Cameron Smith, 50, was also ordered Monday to pay more than $2.1 million in restitution, the Bismarck Tribune reported, as well as fines totaling $250,000. He faces deportation after his release.

Smith, who is originally from the Toronto area but had been living in Astoria, Oregon, pleaded guilty last Septembe r to charges of destroying energy facilities for the incidents near Carpenter, South Dakota, in 2022 and in 2023 near Ray, North Dakota.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Traynor sentenced Smith to two consecutive 12 1/2-year terms, far above federal sentencing guidelines that recommended 3 1/2 to 4 ¼ years per count.

Prosecutor David Hagler said the higher sentence was justified because Smith’s actions met the definition of terrorism by “attempting to intimidate or coerce a civilian population.”

Defense attorney Douglas Passon argued against the longer sentence, describing Smith as a “hyper-aware individual wanting to create awareness about climate change” who intentionally avoided harming anyone.

In the South Dakota incident, prosecutors said the damage inflicted by Smith caused a shutdown of a pump station on the Keystone XL Pipeline, which led to a leak that damaged neighboring land. Damages to transformers and other infrastructure at a North Dakota power substation caused outages to 243 customers.

Smith told the court his actions were driven by frustration after years of trying to raise awareness of climate change through lawful means. He said he chose remote locations to avoid harming people, and he argued for a lesser sentence, citing his autism and Crohn’s disease.

“This is tantamount to a life sentence, and I don’t think that’s right,” Smith said. He expressed doubt he would receive adequate medical care while incarcerated.

“I won’t survive this,” Smith said.

Traynor was not swayed.

“You ignored the rule of law in the United States and carried out your actions in a terrorist manner,” Traynor said. “You did not engage in this conduct on a whim. You committed two separate attacks on critical infrastructure 10 months apart and traveled a great distance to do so.”

Passon told The Associated Press on Tuesday that they will appeal. He said the sentence was unjust given Smith’s medical and mental conditions and disproportionate compared with similar crimes.

The Associated Press