Sioux City Journal

Hyperion project questions

Posted: Tuesday, April 29, 2008

SIOUX CITY -- Ever since this "Gorilla" fantasy turned into Hyperion, I have doubts about their intents and, consequently, their performance. I want to know who (and I have asked lots of people) can tell me why it is better for us to have the refinery at Elk Point than at the point of drilling the petroleum -- that is, Canada itself. Why could not Hyperion suck up the gooey mess where the drills are and build their refinery next door to it?

Here we are, months down the road and now we have learned that Hyperion is trying to get the U.S. government to provide financing for their project(s). I was led to believe, as were others, that financing was not a problem.

Hyperion has stated many, many times that if we don't want them, not to worry, other places will greet them with open arms (and in my opinion, closed eyes). Many of us feel they have little going in this regard and it is only a real estate ploy to convince the locals to sell at Hyperion price or they will go elsewhere.

Iowa is so conscious of pollution that they pass unfair laws restricting the use of tobacco, but nothing has been said about the likelihood wherein refinery pollution to the equivalent of billions of cigarettes could and probably will descend upon us from their construction, not to mention leaks and more dangerous incidents like fires and explosions.

Sioux City has declined to support the addition of several non-polluting industries in the past years. Why risk destruction of rich, pastoral lands? It is pure, unadulterated greed. -- Clark Wright

Story Comments

Hometown Girl wrote on May 15, 2008 12:10 PM:

" www.tarsandswatch.org/refinery-worries "

StopHype wrote on May 2, 2008 4:39 PM:

" Voting NO to a terribly flawed re-zoning ordinance will not stop other industry. An ordinance with the words "of any type" and "without limitation" gives to much control to Hyperion. This is not the type of authority we would give a company in our own private business dealings, and the county should not allow this range of freedom to a very secretive company. The county will suffer the consequences forever if this ordinance passes.
"

Thorgood wrote on May 2, 2008 12:32 PM:

" FNG -- First, it has been shown that Hyperion's projected number of jobs is likely inflated by 400-600 -- The few refineries that are of a similar size don't hire as many people as they "say" they are. Plus, in their own data (Appendix G of the air permit) THEY say that a low percentage of jobs will go to local (60 mile radius) people and that those jobs will be the lowest paying ones (i.e. administrative, etc.) While there could also be other jobs created as a result of the refinery (not taking into consideration the short-term construction period -- which again, Hyperion has said will be done by mostly out-of-area workers brought in to live in the village) if you look around any other refinery, we're not talking about great jobs. Plus, by looking at areas with other refineries, this could mean that other heavy industries would locate here . . . you might be o.k. with the pollution from one (huge) refinery, but are you also o.k. with the snowball rolling down the hill? You will say I'm hypothesizing, but so are you . . . "

FNG wrote on May 1, 2008 4:39 PM:

" To Get in line; your assertions are completely made up. If you don't have a good job now, chances are you won't get one at the refinery, why? Is nobody underemployed now? Is there no one in UC that doesn't want to improve themselves, take classes, etc?
If it is built, there are projections of thousands of additional jobs created because of other growth that would be created. There will be a need for more doctors, lawyers, bankers, and many other professionals, plus the high demand for skilled laborers should push average wages and benefits way up, as employers compete for good workers....I disagree that many well qualified refinery workers from southern states would want to move here. All they would have to know is that there was a blizzard just north of UC the last weekend in April, and more snow coming this weekend! They will decide they love their polluted cities where it's warm. "

Who benefits wrote on May 1, 2008 12:24 PM:

" Business owners and professionals.
The common worker will not benefit.
If business wanted to really create
Economic Development, they would pay
all the workers in the area 15-30 bucks
an hour. Those employees would then
move into the middle class, able to buy
homes and raise families. How about
insurance and retirement. What incentive
is there to stay? Refinery workers will
retire there (20+yrs). "