The North Dakota Access Pipeline, intended to carry oil from the Bakken oil fields in North Dakota to a tank farm in Illinois, has become an important symbol of Indigenous people’s rights to protect their land and waters – and a lesson in the potential for corporate goals to translate into egregious human rights abuses. Despite the recent good news that the Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the construction of a key section of the Dakota Access Pipeline, the pipeline company intends to continue moving forward. We are actively working with a broad coalition of shareholders to address this issue now and for future projects. We’ve filed resolutions with companies that are partners in the pipeline and the banks that finance them. Our hope is that we can press these companies to assess their involvement in the conflict, gauge whether it matches their values with regard to Indigenous rights, and begin a dialogue toward a just and equitable solution, now and into the future. Stay tuned for updates in the new year.
