Hey Jim. Thanks for the additional info. I think the jobs aspect is particularly important, especially in relation to the state incentives given to make it happen. Can we determine how many of the jobs will be temporary and out-of-area?

-----Original Message-----
From: "Redmond, Jim" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Jun 17, 2007 9:51 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Almost the worst possible news from Sioux City

<[log in to unmask]>

Except for a nuclear processing facility, I can't think of worse news than what we got this week in Sioux City. At Elk Point South Dakota, Hyperion Resources of Texas is looking for the opportunity to locate the nation's first new oil refinery in decades. A power plant will also be part of the deal. $6 billion! That's a lot of damage.

Here's the editorial from Sunday's Journal. Located close to the Missouri River, the plant is sure to be damaging to the entire region and I bet the jobs will be in construction, engineering, and will require workers to come in from elsewhere.

WE will need help in responding. The only good news is that other sites in the country are being investigated--They are looking for the state willing to give them the greatest financial breaks.

Jim

Sioux City's "Gorilla" revealed.

Anyone who possessed skepticism about whether the much-talked-about, secret development project under consideration for Union County, S.D., was in fact the size, metaphorically speaking, of a "Gorilla" can shed themselves of any such doubt.

Any way you slice it - from capital cost, to number of jobs, to economic impact, to national significance - projects don't get much bigger than the construction of America's first oil refinery in more than 30 years.

Due to the dramatic economic development impact a refinery would have on the entire region, our initial reaction to identification of the company and its plans is one of excitement. However, we recognize the need for answers to citizen questions and concerns about a project of this kind and scope, as well.

For months, speculation about "Gorilla" raged like a Western wildfire. On Wednesday, the rumors were put to rest when officials of Dallas, Texas, energy firm Hyperion Resources, Inc. and South Dakota state officials spoke publicly for the first time about what virtually had become an obsession for those who weren't in the know - like us.

The basic details: Union County is one of the sites under consideration for an $8 billion energy center on 2,000 acres of land. The center will include a refinery for the production of gas and diesel fuel from crude oil and a power plant. The center, according to company officials, will be built with environmentally friendly, cutting-edge technology and will employ close to 2,000 persons. A final decision on where the firm wants to construct it will be made sometime in 2008.

With the "Gorilla" out of the bag, so to speak, and more specific information available, the public has begun reacting - both positively and negatively - to what without a doubt is the biggest, most far-reaching economic development project ever considered for Siouxland.

The announcement of Hyperion as the mystery suitor only marks the beginning of a multifaceted process that will play itself out in myriad ways over the next year - and for many years beyond, if Union County is chosen.

Only the guessing has ended. The rest of the "Gorilla" story is just getting started.

If you need additional information or have further questions please email Ed Hopkins from Sierra Club at [log in to unmask] or Martha Noble of the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition at [log in to unmask].

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