Through the controversy over the Dakota Access Pipeline, NGOs have questioned the role of banks in financing the pipeline's construction and the companies developing it.  In February 2016, after the US Government issued final permits for the pipeline's construction, Rainforest Action Network said, "Disbursement of this project loan is a key test of the seriousness of these banks’ commitments to human and Indigenous rights."

We invited the banks named by Rainforest Action Network to respond. The responses received from banks are below.

For further details regarding the Dakota Access Pipeline; concerns over environmental impacts, indigenous peoples' rights, and rights of protesters; and the perspectives of companies and other stakeholders, see our In-depth area on human rights concerns regarding the pipeline.