Protesters slam pipeline, denounce bank

SANDUSKY — About a dozen locals organized a protest so others would withdraw their support from a bank supposedly subsidizing a pipeline project garnering national attention.They chanted "Water is life!"They hoisted signs, including one reading "Our children can't drink oil."And they rallied support against the Dakota Access Pipeline, a nearly 1,200-mile infrastructure system being built today. Spanning from North Dakota to Illinois, the pipeline would transport oil across four states: these two along with South Dakota and Iowa.Environmentalists, preservationists, activists and others fear such a system, if it leaks or fails, could severely compromise natural resources. "We are fighting for the water out there," protest organizer Megan Tobin said. About "18 million people depend on the (Missouri River) for their drinking water. If it gets polluted, then what happens?"On Friday afternoon, the protesters gathered outside U.S. Bank on West Perkins Avenue in Sandusky and urged branch customers to close their accounts. Activists claim the corporation provided $175 million in credit to the parent company overseeing pipeline construction.Tobin, a Bellevue resident, said two people divested their money from U.S. Bank as part of the local protest."We are trying to fight the pipeline from all angles," Tobin said. "We are also doing this to show our solidarity with our indigenous brothers and sisters out in the Standing Rock Sioux (Indian) Reservation who have been fighting this pipeline."For more information on local protest efforts, Tobin said people can visit everydayofaction.org or her Facebook page by searching "Megg Marie."Reach reporter Andy Ouriel at ouriel@sanduskyregister.com and follow him on Twitter @AndyOuriel.Several locals on Friday afternoon organized a protest outside the U.S. Bank branch on West Perkins Avenue in Sandusky. They advocated against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is reportedly receiving financial assistance from U.S. Bank.Several locals on Friday afternoon organized a protest outside the U.S. Bank branch on West Perkins Avenue in Sandusky. They advocated against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is reportedly receiving financial assistance from U.S. Bank.