DAPL Updates: Seattle Cuts Ties With Wells Fargo Over Pipeline; ND Legislature Eyes Tougher Penalties for Protestors

Repercussions for both supporters and opponents of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) are piling up.

The City of Seattle is pulling its business from Wells Fargo, some $3 billion in accounts, due to both the bank’s support for DAPL and its bogus account scandal, news reports say. Meanwhile, the state of North Dakota is considering bills to toughen punishments for the kinds of protests taking place against DAPL, a legislative trend that is sweeping the country.

One bill in the North Dakota legislative hopper would remove liability for drivers who run over protesters standing in a roadway, as long as it is “unintentional.”

The Legal Arguments for Stopping DAPL, and More Updates

Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) news summary:

• MPR reviews the legal arguments that could be used to force the government to continue the environmental review of DAPL, a process the story said could delay the project for up to two more years. However, the headline questions whether this is the “beginning of the end.”
• Indian Country Today is asking whether U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) was mislead or intentionally misleading when he announced Wednesday that approval of the DAPL easement was just days away.
• Three U.S. Senators write President Trump to ask him to engage in meaningful consultation with the Standing Rock Nation.
• The city of Seattle will vote on ending its business relationship with Wells Fargo over DAPL.

For details, keep reading.