Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Donald Trump has close financial ties to the operators of the proposed Dakota Access oil pipeline, with the Republican presidential nominee having invested in the company and received hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from its chief executive. According to The Guardian, Trump’s Federal Elections Commission disclosures show as much as $1 million invested in Energy Transfer Partners, with an additional $500,000 to $1 million in Phillips 66, the energy company with a 25 percent stake in the controversial pipeline project upon its completion. Additionally, the operator’s CEO, Kelcy Warren, has donated $103,000 to help elect Trump, including a reported $3,000 personal donation to the campaign—an amount that runs over the personal limit of $2,700. The multibillion-dollar pipeline project has been opposed by local Native American tribes, as it runs close to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, causing fears of contaminated water and destroyed land. Its protest camps, which have been visited by Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein along with celebrities like actress Shailene Woodley, have been the site of clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Trump has repeatedly stated that he unequivocally supports any such energy pipelines.