Chamber makes refinery priority for lobbying trip
Delegates want to raise awareness among lawmakers
By Dave Dreeszen Journal business editor | Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Siouxland business leaders plan to pitch the proposed Hyperion Energy Center to members of the tri-state congressional delegation in Washington D.C. next week.
Union County is the leading site for the proposed oil refinery and power plant, which has been picked as a priority issue for the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce's annual lobbying trip to the nation's capital.
At a series of Capitol Hill meetings with lawmakers, local delegates will try to raise awareness about the $10 billion project, Chamber President Debi Durham said Tuesday.
Last month, Union County approved Hyperion's application to rezone more than 3,200 acres of farmland as the refinery site. County voters will be asked to ratify that decision in a June 3 referendum.
"We are currently engaged in the process of communicating the details related to this project to citizens throughout the Siouxland region and have made substantial headway since this project was announced," Hyperion project executive J.L. "Corky" Frank wrote in a position paper being presented to lawmakers. "From our outreach and canvassing, it is clear a majority of Union County residents support this project."
No Hyperion representatives are scheduled to accompany the Chamber delegation on the D.C. trip, Durham said. Some business leaders from Union County are expected to present the issue to members of Congress from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
The Chamber has endorsed the energy center, citing the potential for an enormous economic boom and the willingness of Hyperion to construct a "green" refinery with minimal effects. The Dallas, Texas-based energy firm plans to employ advanced technology in the proposed 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery, which would turn heavy crude from the Canadian oil sands in Alberta, Canada, into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Local opponents claim the refinery would foul the environment, adversely change their rural way of life and create added costs for local taxpayers.
The project would have an estimated $13.7 billion annual impact on the state and local economies, creating an average of 4,500 construction jobs for four to five years, and 1,800 permanent skilled positions after it opens.
More than 70 local business and government leaders are signed up for next week's Washington trip, which kicks off Tuesday morning and culminates with the traditional steak dinner on Wednesday afternoon.
Other priority issues, finalized by the Chamber Board Tuesday, include:
-- Increasing physician recruitment and retention in Siouxland. This year's effort, Durham said, focuses on a special visa program that allows doctors from other countries to enter the United States.
-- Improving the federal database that businesses rely on to verify the legal status of applicants for jobs. The current system, local leaders said, is cumbersome and leaves employers vulnerable to state and federal sanctions for mistakenly hiring illegal aliens.
-- Restoring funding to the Tri-State Drug Task Force.
-- Winning additional federal appropriations for widening to four lanes U.S. Highway 20 in western Iowa and Highway 35 in eastern Nebraska.
-- Securing Federal Aviation Administration matching funds to renovate the terminal at Sioux Gateway Airport/Col. Bud Day Field.
Union County is the leading site for the proposed oil refinery and power plant, which has been picked as a priority issue for the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce's annual lobbying trip to the nation's capital.
At a series of Capitol Hill meetings with lawmakers, local delegates will try to raise awareness about the $10 billion project, Chamber President Debi Durham said Tuesday.
Last month, Union County approved Hyperion's application to rezone more than 3,200 acres of farmland as the refinery site. County voters will be asked to ratify that decision in a June 3 referendum.
"We are currently engaged in the process of communicating the details related to this project to citizens throughout the Siouxland region and have made substantial headway since this project was announced," Hyperion project executive J.L. "Corky" Frank wrote in a position paper being presented to lawmakers. "From our outreach and canvassing, it is clear a majority of Union County residents support this project."
No Hyperion representatives are scheduled to accompany the Chamber delegation on the D.C. trip, Durham said. Some business leaders from Union County are expected to present the issue to members of Congress from Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
The Chamber has endorsed the energy center, citing the potential for an enormous economic boom and the willingness of Hyperion to construct a "green" refinery with minimal effects. The Dallas, Texas-based energy firm plans to employ advanced technology in the proposed 400,000-barrel-per-day refinery, which would turn heavy crude from the Canadian oil sands in Alberta, Canada, into gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
Local opponents claim the refinery would foul the environment, adversely change their rural way of life and create added costs for local taxpayers.
The project would have an estimated $13.7 billion annual impact on the state and local economies, creating an average of 4,500 construction jobs for four to five years, and 1,800 permanent skilled positions after it opens.
More than 70 local business and government leaders are signed up for next week's Washington trip, which kicks off Tuesday morning and culminates with the traditional steak dinner on Wednesday afternoon.
Other priority issues, finalized by the Chamber Board Tuesday, include:
-- Increasing physician recruitment and retention in Siouxland. This year's effort, Durham said, focuses on a special visa program that allows doctors from other countries to enter the United States.
-- Improving the federal database that businesses rely on to verify the legal status of applicants for jobs. The current system, local leaders said, is cumbersome and leaves employers vulnerable to state and federal sanctions for mistakenly hiring illegal aliens.
-- Restoring funding to the Tri-State Drug Task Force.
-- Winning additional federal appropriations for widening to four lanes U.S. Highway 20 in western Iowa and Highway 35 in eastern Nebraska.
-- Securing Federal Aviation Administration matching funds to renovate the terminal at Sioux Gateway Airport/Col. Bud Day Field.
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What Taxes wrote on Apr 17, 2008 2:01 PM:
You think that your taxes are high? South Dakota was just listed at 43 in states with the highest taxes! How low do you want to go? "
RunningFree wrote on Apr 17, 2008 8:27 AM:
Derek wrote on Apr 16, 2008 9:53 PM:
"
june 3 wrote on Apr 16, 2008 5:18 PM:
Gary Beaubien wrote on Apr 16, 2008 5:29 AM: