Farmers Fight "Gorilla" Oil Project

Farmers Oppose Proposed Oil Refinery In South Dakota

Aug 30, 2009

It could be the first oil refinery in the United States since 1976. But farmers in South Dakota have been fighting what has been known as the "Gorilla Project."

The first oil refinery in the United States is clearing hurdle after hurdle. Hyperion Resources of Dallas,Texas is expected to renew its option on over 6,000 acres of land for the project. The company ispreparing to turn Canadian oil into needed energy for the United States. But farmers in Union County, near Elk Point, South Dakota have been registering their displeasure with the project.

Scope Of The Project

There has not been a new oil refinery built in the United States since 1976. Cost and environmental battles have kept such projects largely on the drawinbg table. Hyperion Resources of Dallas, Texas says it can convert 400,000 barrels of Canadian oil into gasoline, jet fuel, and diesel every day. The company successfully got a re-zoning permit for the project. While it has other permits to garner, the state has recently granted an air quality permit for the plant. The plant is expected to cost $10 Billion and could be refining fuel by 2015. But, farmers in the area have not been happy with the idea.

Farmers Express Opposition To The Plant

A curious side note is that this project was once known, and continues to be known as the Gorilla Project. That's because the company staked out the land with four concrete gorilla statues when little was known about the project. The initial mystery surrounding the project has been off putting to some in the area.

The project would not only be land intensive, it would be water intensive. It would require a pipeline to use water that area farmers use.

The plant gained some national attention when CNN ran a special on the battle over the plant in Union County. The rezoning passed handily, but some farmers are wary of the project. FarmerDale Harkness would be a next door neighbor to the plant. He told CNN, "I'll keep fighting it...They will never build here. 150 years from now someone will be enjoying that land and this land."

Hyperion has been a bit of a mystery. They are not a major player in the energy industry. Few know exactly who they are. The editor of the nearby Sioux City Journal, Mitch Pugh told CNN," I think there are a lot of unknowns,...Those Hyperion people -- not a lot is known about them. They are not big players in the oil market. ... Where are they going to get the money?"That mystery has lent an air of distrust to farmers who see their land swallowed up by a refinery.

The copyright of the article Farmers Fight "Gorilla" Oil Project in Activism is owned by Jon Pike. Permission to republish Farmers Fight "Gorilla" Oil Project in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.