{"id":3577,"date":"2018-06-19T07:36:48","date_gmt":"2018-06-18T19:36:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/new-zealand\/?p=3577"},"modified":"2024-07-12T15:09:51","modified_gmt":"2024-07-12T03:09:51","slug":"greenpeace-usa-report-shows-pipeline-company-behind-new-anti-protest-legislation-in-the-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/aotearoa\/press-release\/greenpeace-usa-report-shows-pipeline-company-behind-new-anti-protest-legislation-in-the-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenpeace USA report shows pipeline company behind new anti-protest legislation in the US"},"content":{"rendered":"

Washington, DC\u00a0\u2014 A new Greenpeace USA report shows how Energy Transfer Partners (ETP), the company behind the Dakota Access pipeline, along with the fossil fuel industry advocated and lobbied for legislation in the US aimed at restricting and criminalising protest. The report also finds abuses on human rights, freedom of speech and faulty operations from the company.<\/p>\n

\u201cEnergy Transfer Partners\u2019 practices are destructive for the planet, for communities and for the health of democracy in the US. Whether it\u2019s hiring private security firms that surveil and infiltrate activist groups, advocating for laws that restrict the right to protest, or plowing forward with pipeline projects against the will of Indigenous people and landowners, Energy Transfer Partners shows what happens when corporate power goes unchecked. Their projects will continue to be lightning rods for protest and controversy,\u201d said Annie Leonard, Executive Director at Greenpeace USA.<\/p>\n

The report,\u00a0\u201cToo Far, Too Often: Energy Transfer Partners\u2019 Corporate Behavior On Human Rights, Free Speech, and the Environment\u201d<\/a>, details how ETP lobbied for anti-protest legislation both on their own and likely through groups like the\u00a0American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a group that drafts model bills in line with corporate interests.<\/a>\u00a0The move is a legislative effort to increase the criminal penalty for protests concerning \u201ccritical infrastructure,\u201d which specifically includes pipelines.<\/p>\n

The research reveals the lobbying patterns, campaign donations, and financial connections behind the massive legislative effort that ultimately resulted in more new bills being introduced across the United States, inspired by the protests at Standing Rock and legislation drafted by ALEC.<\/p>\n

The report also details how the company is using the courts and Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPPs) to intimidate opponents of the Dakota Access pipeline project. In August 2017, ETP sued Greenpeace entities and others for USD $900 million, using RICO laws to claim that a collection of environmental groups and Indigenous allies constituted a criminal enterprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cDespite efforts made by international agencies and financial backers to understand and remedy some of the major ethical and reputational fallouts that occurred during the Dakota Access Pipeline protests, ETP continues its bad behaviour \u2013 attempting to intimidate anyone who stands up against its pipeline projects. ETP\u2019s unwillingness or inability to learn the necessary lessons from DAPL should raise concerns among the company\u2019s financial backers who continue to be exposed to the reputational and financial impacts of ETP\u2019s unacceptable practices,\u201d said Diana Best, Global Finance Pipeline Lead at Greenpeace USA.<\/p>\n

Other examples of ETP\u2019s harmful corporate behaviour include:<\/b><\/p>\n