Protestors consistently use oil-based products, overlook value to our society

As Standing Rock Fact Checker has pointed out multiple times, those protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline continue to use petroleum products to carry out their disobedience and rally others to their cause.

The hypocrisy can be seen in what has become one of the more emblematic images on the ongoing protest. The man pictured below has used petroleum-based PVC piping to attach himself to equipment which is attempting to make said petroleum cheaper and safer for the surrounding community.

While legal disagreements navigate through the court system, it is important to remember that oil and the thousands of products it produces still have a vital role to play in our economy and lives.

From plastics and paints to DVDs and fertilizers, products made from petroleum remain essential component of our everyday lives – even those of protestors. While the debate surrounding the project’s processes has gotten contentious, the idea that the project, and projects like it, should cease to exist is simply shortsighted.