Trump Dumped His Stock In Dakota Access Pipeline Owner Over The Summer

"President-elect Donald Trump sold off his shares of Energy Transfer Partners, the owner of the $3.7 billion Dakota Access pipeline that has become the focus of protests by Native American and environmental groups, according to his spokeswoman Hope Hicks.

Trump’s share, which in a May 2015 disclosure was listed at between $500,000 and $1 million, had fallen to less than $50,000 by the time he sold it in the summer of 2016, according to a disclosure earlier this year.

The sale would eliminate one possible conflict of interest for Trump, who has vowed to speed up permits for oil and gas pipelines in order to spur more oil and gas development in the United States. The Dakota Access pipeline, which is largely finished, would carry as many as 570,000 barrels a day of shale oil 1,170 miles from western North Dakota to pipeline connections in Illinois.

Although he has sold his stake, Trump has been the recipient of generous political contributions from Energy Transfer chief executive Kelcy Warren."

Steven Mufson reports for the Washington Post November 23, 2016.