A broad coalition of Indigenous communities and organizations along with environmental groups are calling on banks to defund the Dakota Access pipeline and the four proposed new Tar Sands pipelines.

The massive effort is also calling on both individuals and members of participating organizations to close their accounts from banks financing both DAPL and the proposed Tar Sands pipelines by signing an on-line petition and pledge form.

Currently, $4,364,435,000 has been pledged to #DeFundPipelines

“The efforts being taken by NGOs to divest from these banks are to be applauded. Divestment is the next stage in the fight against DAPL, Keystone XL and other Tar Sands and Bakken pipelines. We are hitting their reputation and their bottom line, which are what corporations notice the most. We encourage others to take bold action like the City of Seattle and these influential organizations to ensure the protection of Unci Maka  [Grandmother Earth] and the next seven generations to come.” Matt Remle (Lakota) Editor of Last Real Indians and co-founder of Mazaska Talks

For more information on the banks financing the pipelines go to Mazaskatalks.org

Sign the petition here

The petition reads

We can all help protect water, Indigenous rights and our climate by defunding DAPL and four proposed new tar sands pipelines. We can pressure banks to stop financing human rights abuses and environmental destruction.

Without loans, bond sales, and other forms of financial support, pipelines like DAPL, Keystone XL, Trans Mountain, Line 3, Energy East and other oil infrastructure won’t be built.

Sign the petition to banks that are financing the companies behind Dakota Access and the four new proposed tar sands pipelines (Keystone XL, Trans Mountain, Line 3, and Energy East). Those in bold finance all of these companies.1

“To the CEOs of Bank of America, Barclays, Citi, Crédit Agricole, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan Chase, Mizuho, MUFG, RBC, SMBC, ScotiaBank, TD Bank, Wells Fargo, CIBC, BNP Paribas, Bank of Montreal:

Tar sands pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure desecrate Indigenous lands, violate Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) affirmed in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), destabilize our climate and lock us into decades of fossil fuel dependence.

As consumers and customers of all sizes, we demand banks stop using our money to fund tar sands pipelines that our communities and planet cannot afford. And we call on our neighbors, elected officials, and pension managers to close all accounts with these banks unless they immediately stop financing tar sands pipelines.”

Earlier this year, community members and their elected officials moved $5.4 billion out of banks invested in the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL).2 Around the world, over 58,000 individuals and 700 colleges, churches, and other institutions are divesting another $5 trillion from fossil fuels in general.3

People across Turtle Island are fighting the four proposed new tar sands pipelines. Trump and his fossil-fueled State Department, led by Exxon’s infamous Rex Tillerson, have given preliminary approval to the Keystone XL pipeline, while three other proposed tar sands pipelines would further desecrate sacred lands and waters with the dirtiest oil in the world: Enbridge’s Line 3, Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain, and TransCanada’s Energy East. Meanwhile, fossil fuel companies continue to drill for oil on Indigenous lands and ecologically sensitive areas around the world.

After more than 700,000 people and cities like Seattle representing over $5 billion in accounts demanded action, a number of banks have dropped their investments in DAPL or committed to revisit their financing of fossil fuel projects that threaten Indigenous sovereignty. But many banks continue to finance pipelines and other fossil fuel infrastructure like refineries and export terminals, as well as the companies sponsoring these projects.

In fact, in the next month, several banks are attempting to round up $5.5 billion (Canadian dollars) in new credit to fund Kinder Morgan’s Trans Mountain pipeline. Tell these banks not to touch this new deal with a 10-foot pole. Turn up the pressure, and where possible, move your money.

We need everyone, from those of us living paycheck to paycheck on up to millionaires and billionaires, to align their money with their values. Withhold your consent from a global finance system that puts profits ahead of Indigenous rights, climate truth, long-term economic analysis, and a safe planet for all.

Sign the petition to put banks on notice and defund new tar sands pipelines.

All signatures will be delivered to the banks in June. Stay tuned for more “move your money” tools and actions.

1. The 17 banks listed here are primary targets. For a full list of banks financing the companies behind DAPL and other tar sands pipelines, visit https://mazaskatalks.org
2. http://www.defunddapl.org/
3. https://gofossilfree.org/commitments

Participating organizations:
350.org
198 methods
Amazon Watch
Beyond Extreme Energy
Bold Alliance
Climate Hawks Vote
Daily Kos
DivestInvest Individual
Friends of the Earth Action (U.S.)
Greenpeace
Green America
Honor the Earth
Indigenous Environmental Network
Lakota People’s Law Project
League of Conservation Voters
Native Organizers Alliance
Oil Change International
People’s Action
Rainforest Action Network

Supporting Organizations:
Earth Guardians
Friends of the Earth France
Food & Water Action Fund
Hip Hop Caucus
Last Real Indians
Mazaska Talks
Recommon
Sacred Stone Camp
Sierra Club
Treaty Alliance Against Tar Sands Expansion
Urgewald

by Wakíƞyaƞ Waánataƞ (Matt Remle- Lakota)