New South Dakota Oil Refinery One Step Closer to Reality
First in America Since 1976
Voters have said yes to a zoning ordinance that would result in construction of the nation’s newest oil refinery in over 30 years.
The highly contentious issue has pitted neighbor against neighbor in Union County, SD for months after Hyperion Energy first applied for a zoning permit to build the refinery.
Elk Point, SD city officials, quoted in the Sioux City Journal, were elated over the vote, saying it could bring thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars into the farming community.
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$10 Billion Project
Hyperion plans to use 3,292 acres of farm land to build what Hyperion claimed would be a “green” energy center, the worlds cleanest, at a cost of $10 billion
The facility would process 400,000 barrels of Alberta tar sands crude a day, turning it into what the company says is low-sulfur gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, in addition to an IGCC (integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) power plant.
Read below, under “Posts Related to Oil and the Environment“, for an article I wrote last year on the tar sands, and a podcast interview with Liz Moore on her run-in with Syncrude.
At stake, according to company and local officials, will be 4,500 construction jobs, and over 1,800 permanent full time employees.
Opposition Unbowed
Opponents of the plan vow to do anything possible to stop the plant from becoming reality. The “not in my back yard” crowd cites health issues from pollution and other troubles the refinery would bring to their neighborhoods.
While the zoning issue is a big step, the company now has to submit a series of applications to local, state and federal agencies before construction an begin.
Opponents say they have strategies that will slow or delay the permit processes.
Hyperion says it plans to break ground in 2010.
Posts Related to Oil and the Environment:
- Podcast Interview with Liz Moore, who documented the Alberta Tar Sands project and was not allowed to publish pictures depicting damage to the local environment on her website. The link to my introductory story is here with pictures and links to the Syncrude project. Here is my interview with Liz.
- Canada Unleashes First Carbon Tax in N. America
- Sorry Bush, Voters Think Investment in Renewable Energy is the Best Option
- Ship By Rail, Reduce Annual Greenhouse Gas Emissions By More Than 12 Million Tons
Image Credit: www.ktiv.com/Images/ hyperion-resources-logo.jpg
Thank you, Roger for the correction.
I’ve added a podcast interview I did last year with an 85 year old Colorado woman who visited the Syncrude tar sands project, took pictures and tried to publish them on her website. She was outraged at what she saw. Syncrude made her take them off her site, but she put up a great slide show nonetheless. The links to the pictures and podcast are located toward the bottom of this story.
Thanks everyone for your comments.
I dont think this is gonna get build.
Reliance is building a huge refinery in India that is going to send 100% of its refined product to the USA that will add 5% of the total world production of refined crude.
I dont have a link to the article but all the “experts” said that would make a huge amount of excess refinary capacity.
This is GREAT! We should be building more refineries. This isn’t the stone age.
well said Wolfenstool, i wonder where this will stop but the reality is that our government is to blame just as much or more than they are. Somewhere someone thought it was ok to sell off our natural resources be it our timber, or the electricity from our hydro dams or oil, we have all these things but do we ever see tax breaks or cheaper utilities? i love my country but i’m beginning to lose all pride in it.
More gas for me, fuck all you guys.
Well, well, well. Mizz is correct! No new refineries since 1976, However, the amount of cars on the road has almost doubled in that time. It’s a fairly easy equation to solve. Many more cars and trucks, but the same amount of refineries. Huh. As a worker in the refining industry, there are many things the typical joe schmo off the street does not understand about refining. As far as it being a “dirty” industry, that is a thing of the past! EPA regulations are very stringent these days, and this angency watches refineries like a hawk!!!! More refining capacity would ease some of the problems this nation has encountered, but not immediately! $4.00/gal gasoline? European’s have been paying about $6.00/gal for over 20 years!!! What do we have to bitch about!!! Thank goodness for corn based ethanol!!!(Not!!!)
Are these comments written by people with an agenda or by the average passer-by of this site? I swear, I smell a conspiracy here.
We screwed ourselves a long time ago by building a country that we have to drive everywhere in order to function. Then we let a bunch of nuts restrict our supply of gas by not allowing an oil refinery for over 30 years. If people cannot afford to live their lives due to high costs, a little farm land won’t make a different; people will not be able to afford to eat. Besides, the costs are up because of fuel, not lack of supply.
I agree we need a new refinery. With todays technology we can create a cleaner refinery cheaper then retrofitting what we already have. And maybe as time goes on and we begin to wean ourselves from oil, they can shut down the older refinery’s that give off more pollution then the new ones. Think big picture… Don’t stand around and *itch all day, come to the table with a viable solution. If you don’t have one, stop complaining.
We have oil in South Dakota? Wow, I must have missed that… and I live there.
What a bunch of hateful/spiteful comments on here. Also a lot of people mislead by the clean energy movement that really has little to no traction. As a EE scientist myself, I understand full well that the clean energy movement is light years behind in technology then they are willing to admit. Battery technology alone needs at least another 20 years of development before being able to handle the growing demand on electricity and storage. Building a new plant is the right thing to do! If you look at the specs, this plant will be able to convert as technology changes.
Canada and the U.S. really should work together to rid our continent of Middle East Oil. We have successfully worked together to solve all sorts of problems…why not this? I think I can speak for many Americans when I say we love Canada and wouldn’t want to do anything to hurt our friends and neighbors.
And for the angry Canadian Mr. Wolfenstool - stop being so hateful and spewing stereotypes that aren’t true. BTW - I travel to Canada quite a bit and last time I checked, Canada didn’t look any different from the States. I see a lot of SUVs in Canada. Pointing fingers isn’t going to get anyone anywhere - after all is said and done, more will be said then done!
-DJ