THE CORPORATION DEFY TO HIDE BEHIND THE GOOD TO COULD ACCESS
PIPELINE HAS ALREADY BEGUN CHILLING AND THAT IS AFTER
DONALD TRUMP GIVEN THE GREEN LIGHT TO DO SO.
HOWEVER, THERE ARE SOME INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
FIGHTING BACK AND THEY ARE DOING SO THROUGH THE COURTS.
APPARENTLY THE ARMY CORPS ON WEDNESDAY GRANTED THE EASEMENT
TO THE DAKOTA ACCESS LLC THE COMPANY BUILDING THE PIPELINE.
IN A SERIES OF COURT PAPERS FILED JUST AFTER 3
AM ON THURSDAY, THE CHEYENNE RIVER SUE TRIBE ONE OF THE
TWO TRIBES THAT HAVE BEEN CHALLENGING THE PIPELINING
COURT SINCE LAST YEAR ASKED A JUDGE TO INTERVENE.
THE TRIBE IS ARGUING THAT THE ARMY CORPS FAILED TO CONSIDER
THE SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT OF THIS PROJECT ON TRIBAL MEMBERS FREE
EXERCISE OF THEIR RELIGION SINCE IT WOULD BE BUILT THROUGH A
SITE THEY BELIEVE IS SACRED.
THEY'RE CONCERNED ABOUT SACRED BURIAL GROUNDS.
THEY ARE ALSO VERY MUCH CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR
DRINKING WATER AND I THINK THOSE ARE LEGITIMATE CONCERNS.
WHAT THEY'RE ASKING IN THIS CASE IS THAT THE JUDGE AT LEAST
TEMPORARILY HALT THE CONSTRUCTION TO ENSURE THAT
A PROPER REVIEW IS DONE AND WE WILL SEE HOW IT GOES.
A LAWYER FOR THE DAKOTA ACCESS LLC TOLD THE JUDGE THAT
WOULD TAKE ABOUT 60
DAYS TO FINISH BUILDING THE PIPELINE ONCE CONSTRUCTION
RESUMES, AND ABOUT 80 DAYS UNTIL OIL IS FLOWING THROUGH IT.
OBVIOUSLY, THIS WILL HAPPEN VERY QUICKLY AND THE NATIVE AMERICANS
IN THIS CASE HAVE A LEGITIMATE CONCERN THAT IF THEY DON'T AT
LEAST TEMPORARILY HALT CONSTRUCTION, THEY MIGHT JUST
CONSTRUCT EVERYTHING INTO THE DAMAGE BEFORE THE LAWSUIT
IS HEARD AND DECIDED THAT
THEY SHOULD HAVE THAT FEAR BECAUSE I AM SURE THAT THE
COMPANY HAS BEEN READY TO JUST DO IT AS FAST AS POSSIBLE.
IT PROBABLY BODES WELL FOR ITS SAFETY IN THE FUTURE.
I WOULDN'T BE SUPPRESSED THEY DID THAT I THINK IT IS AN
INTERESTING TACTIC THAT THIS LATEST ROUND OF TRYING TO GET
THE COURTS TO STOP IS BASED ON THE FREE EXERCISE CLAUSE BUT
IT'S ALSO AN INTERESTING ONE BECAUSE REPORTED A COUPLE OF
WEEKS AGO ONE OF THE FIRST EXECUTIVE ORDERS WAS TO PROTECT
DEEPLY HELD RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OF INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE TRYING TO
EXERCISE THEM IN BUSINESS.
IF YOU CAN BAN SOMEONE FROM COMING IN YOUR BAKERY BASED
ON YOUR VIEWS OF THEIR RELIGION, CAN YOU BAN THEM FROM
COMING INTO YOUR AREA AND DRIVING A PIPELINE THROUGH THE?
IT SEEMS LIKE MAYBE YOU SHOULD.
BUT THERE COULD WELL BE SOME HYPOCRISY HERE.
THERE IS SOME MORE ACTION BEING TAKEN AGAINST THE DAKOTA
ACCESS PIPELINE AND THOSE WHO ARE FUNDING IT OR HELPING
TO FUND IT.
WELLS FARGO HAS BEEN FUNDING THE DAKOTA PIPELINE AND AS A RESULT,
THERE HAVE BEEN SOME CITIES OR LOCAL POLITICIANS AT LEAST TWO
OF DECIDED, WE'RE GOING TO PULL HER MONEY OUT.
WE ARE DONE WITH YOU.
WE REPORTED ON THIS LAST WEEK.
IN SEATTLE WAS THE FIRST CITY TO DO THAT.
SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL VOTED AGAINST HER NEW CONTRACT
WITH THE BAY NEXT YEAR WHICH WILL RESULT IN A LOSS OF 3
BILLION IN FUNDS FROM THE CITY.
SOON AFTER SEATTLE VOTED TO PULL FUNDS FOR MOST ARGO, THE
DAVIS CALIFORNIA CITY COUNCIL FOLLOWED SOON VOTED TO FIND
A NEW BANK TO HANDLE ITS ACCOUNTS IN THE NEXT YEAR.
WE HAVE CITIES TAKING ACTION AGAINST THIS AND LOOK, EVEN IF
IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING TO STOP THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE
PIPELINE, IT AT LEAST SENDS A PRETTY STRONG MESSAGE TO
FIRST OF ALL BY THE LAWMAKERS TO THE PEOPLE THAT HEY, WE
HEAR YOU WE REPRESENT YOU AND THIS IS UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR AND
ALSO IT SENDS A STRONG MESSAGE TO BANKS AND KIND OF PUTS THEM
ON NOTICE REGARDING THE TYPES OF BUSINESSES THEY PLAN ON FUNDING.
YEAH, AND OBVIOUSLY BANKS USE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT CRITERIA
TO CHOOSE WHAT BUSINESS TO INVEST IN OR GIVE LOANS TO AND
GENERALLY THOSE ARE ECONOMIC PROJECTIONS AND RISK ASSESSMENTS
BUT IT COULD BE, AND MANY BANKS ARTIE HAVE THIS, THE MORAL
VALUE COMPONENT TO WHAT THESE COMPANIES DO.
THERE ARE A LOT OF BANKS WHO ONLY INVEST IN CERTAIN
TYPES OF CORPORATIONS WHO HOLD TO CERTAIN POLITICAL OR
RELIGIOUS VALUES AND IT COULD BE THAT MAYBE WITH ENOUGH
ACTIVISM AROUND THE COUNTRY, THE LARGEST BANKS CAN ALSO
START TO MOVE IN A DIRECTION TO.
EXACTLY.
THIS IS A LITTLE BIT OF GOOD NEWS REGARDING A
DEVASTATING STORY, BUT I LOVE THE ACTIVISM IN THIS CASE.
THE POLITICAL ACTIVISM THAT AROSE BECAUSE OF THE DAKOTA
ACCESS PIPELINE AND NOW BECAUSE OF SOME OF TRUMPS EXECUTIVE
ORDERS GIVES ME A LITTLE BIT OF HOPE BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T SEE THIS
TYPE OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT DURING THE OBAMA YEARS,
WELL, THEY WENT AGAINST THE DAKOTA ACCESS PIPELINE
DURING OBAMA.
TO BE FAIR, THAT IS TRUE BUT I GUESS WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS
THIS TYPE OF ACTIVISM WASN'T REALLY AROUND FIVE YEARS AGO.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
YOU SAW OCCUPY WALL STREET WHICH WAS GREAT AND I LOVE THAT
BUT I THINK THAT THE MEDIA DID A GOOD JOB, NOT A GOOD JOB
BUT THEY DID AN EFFECTIVE JOB IN DELEGITIMIZING THEM AND
SHUTTING THEM DOWN AND IN THIS CASE, PROTEST OR NOT
LETTING THAT HAPPEN AND I LOVE IT.