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Jun 2, 2:58 PM EDT
S.D. farm county votes on huge new oil refinery
By DIRK LAMMERS
Associated Press Writer
ELK POINT, S.D. (AP) -- A proposal to build the first new U.S. oil refinery in more than 30 years in this mostly agricultural corner of the Midwest is facing a make-or-break decision at the ballot box.
Union County residents vote Tuesday on Hyperion Resources' request to zone nearly 3,300 acres of pristine farm land north of Elk Point as a development district for the $10 billion oil refinery, billed as a potential step toward national energy independence.
The proposal has been a contentious issue in this southeast corner of South Dakota, with supporters citing economic development benefits and opponents voicing environmental and quality-of-life concerns. Both sides have been campaigning door to door.
Just under 10,000 of Union County's 13,462 residents are registered to vote Tuesday.
The Hyperion Energy Center would process 400,000 barrels of thick Canadian crude oil a day, which company executives say would help the U.S. reduce its dependence on overseas oil. Construction could begin in 2010 and take about four years.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEW_REFINERY?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
S.D. farm county votes on huge new oil refinery
By DIRK LAMMERS
Associated Press Writer
ELK POINT, S.D. (AP) -- A proposal to build the first new U.S. oil refinery in more than 30 years in this mostly agricultural corner of the Midwest is facing a make-or-break decision at the ballot box.
Union County residents vote Tuesday on Hyperion Resources' request to zone nearly 3,300 acres of pristine farm land north of Elk Point as a development district for the $10 billion oil refinery, billed as a potential step toward national energy independence.
The proposal has been a contentious issue in this southeast corner of South Dakota, with supporters citing economic development benefits and opponents voicing environmental and quality-of-life concerns. Both sides have been campaigning door to door.
Just under 10,000 of Union County's 13,462 residents are registered to vote Tuesday.
The Hyperion Energy Center would process 400,000 barrels of thick Canadian crude oil a day, which company executives say would help the U.S. reduce its dependence on overseas oil. Construction could begin in 2010 and take about four years.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/N/NEW_REFINERY?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=US
