Nearly all emergency funds for pipeline protest costs used

Nearly all of the $6 million in emergency funding earmarked for law enforcement costs related to the Dakota Access pipeline protest in North Dakota has been used up.

The state's Emergency Commission approved the money in late September, but North Dakota Department of Emergency Services spokeswoman Cecily Fong says nearly $5.8 million has already been used.

The department will ask for more money, though Fong didn't immediately know how much or when.

The money is borrowed from the state-owned Bank of North Dakota and will need to be paid back with interest. The Emergency Services Department will ask the Legislature to do so next year.

Protests supporting the Standing Rock Sioux tribe's opposition to the pipeline have been ongoing for months, with more than 260 people arrested so far.