Oil refinery foes question validity or supporters' petitions
11:17 AM
By Michele Linck Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, March 14, 2008
ELK POINT, S.D. -- Supporters of Hyperion Resources' proposed oil refinery are already circulating petitions to bring the zoning ordinance for the project to a referendum, just days after the new zoning was approved by the Union County Board of Commissioners.
Meanwhile, Ed Cable, leader of the opposition group, Save Union County Committee, said SUCC is holding off on gathering signatures on the advice of three attorneys. The attorneys say the signatures gathered before the ordinance is properly published in the legal notices of the county's official newspapers won't count.
In addition, Cable said the petitions available at the Union County Auditor's Office are "incorrect. If people are using that petition, they've got a problem," he said. He declined to say how the petitions are flawed.
Both citizens' groups and the Texas-based Hyperion have vowed since the zoning application was filed in December to take the result to a countywide election. While Hyperion has nothing to gain -- it has already received the zoning it sought -- it has said from the beginning that it will not build the refinery in Union County unless the majority of people want it there.
The Dallas company received its requested zoning change for the refinery on Monday. It converts the zoning on 3,292 acres agriculture zoned land to a new category, Energy Center Planned Development District. The company owns purchase options on the land and on at least at additional 8,600 acres in Union County.
Hyperion proposes to build a $10 billion, 400,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery to process Canadian oil sands crude into ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and gasoline. The "energy center" also intends to produce some electricity from petroleum coke, a byproduct of oil refining.
Meanwhile, Ed Cable, leader of the opposition group, Save Union County Committee, said SUCC is holding off on gathering signatures on the advice of three attorneys. The attorneys say the signatures gathered before the ordinance is properly published in the legal notices of the county's official newspapers won't count.
In addition, Cable said the petitions available at the Union County Auditor's Office are "incorrect. If people are using that petition, they've got a problem," he said. He declined to say how the petitions are flawed.
Both citizens' groups and the Texas-based Hyperion have vowed since the zoning application was filed in December to take the result to a countywide election. While Hyperion has nothing to gain -- it has already received the zoning it sought -- it has said from the beginning that it will not build the refinery in Union County unless the majority of people want it there.
The Dallas company received its requested zoning change for the refinery on Monday. It converts the zoning on 3,292 acres agriculture zoned land to a new category, Energy Center Planned Development District. The company owns purchase options on the land and on at least at additional 8,600 acres in Union County.
Hyperion proposes to build a $10 billion, 400,000-barrel-per-day oil refinery to process Canadian oil sands crude into ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel and gasoline. The "energy center" also intends to produce some electricity from petroleum coke, a byproduct of oil refining.
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Anthony Payne wrote on Mar 14, 2008 7:26 PM:
anon wrote on Mar 14, 2008 5:17 PM:
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jim wrote on Mar 14, 2008 1:19 PM: