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S. Dakotans back refinery, oil pipeline poll says
Melanie Brandert . mbrander@argusleader.com . May 2, 2008
A Dakota Wesleyan University poll shows that a majority of South Dakotans support the TransCanada pipeline and a new oil refinery.DWU’s McGovern Center for Leadership and Public Service found that 66 percent of 270 South Dakotans support the pipeline. Meanwhile, 69 percent support the refinery. A new refinery is proposed near Elk Point. Seventy percent and 84 percent of 260 North Dakotans advocate the pipeline and a new refinery there, respectively.
The poll, which has a plus or minus 4 percent margin of error, appears to lend some measure of standing to both projects. The results are similar to TransCanada’s experiences in both states, project representative Jeff Rauh said.
“The Keystone project is underscoring the need to deliver oil to meet U.S. demand,” he said. Don Simmons, McGovern Center director, said the pipeline and refineries were chosen because TransCanada is going through both states. Aside from Hyperion’s potential refinery, North Dakota lawmakers are considering a refinery with a tribe, he said.About 120 of 267 South Dakotans identified the economy or gas prices as the most important problems facing the nation. Simmons said many who responded to the poll expressed frustration about fuel costs and hope the projects bring relief. “Many think the gas pipeline will help with the cost of gas, even if it may take several years before it’s constructed,” he said.
Hyperion spokesman Eric Williams said the poll tracks close to the company’s poll conducted last July. That poll showed 71 percent of 400 residents in Union County and seven neighboring counties favored the refinery. “It’s very much in line with what we had done,” he said. “Adding to that (oil) capacity can only help out supply.”Jason Quam of Citizens Opposed to Oil Pollution said a statewide poll has no bearing on what will happen in Union County. “Our residents are the ones who are most educated as to the negative impacts of a refinery,” he said.
The poll doesn’t change the fact that Hyperion must seek the creation of a federal program to fund the refinery’s construction, Quam said. “When oil companies are experiencing record profits, I don’t think the people of South Dakota would approve of their tax dollars paying for the construction of Hyperion’s refinery,” he said.
JB Mercer, Citizens for Hyperion chairman, said poll results indicate that South Dakotans understand the nation needs more energy options. “In order for our country to prosper and our citizens to prosper, we need to have a ready supply of energy,” he said. “Ground and air transportation drive our economy. While building a refinery in of itself does not necessarily drop the price of gas, increasing the supply will.”
The poll also showed that of those who identified the economy as the most vital problem, 69 percent approve of the refinery, with 65 percent favoring the pipeline. Mercer said he thought most of those people were considering the refinery’s economic impact as Hyperion aims to bring at least 1,800 jobs to that area.
Reach reporter Melanie Brandert at 977-3926.
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This update Hyperion Grassroots Refinery is great article – because it shows where majority of the people stand on these types of issues. The liberal press and Environmental NIMBY groups that often represent less than 10% of the population are usually all we have seen over the 30+ years they have been blocking any new refineries being built. Usually these groups are only represent about 1% but have lied to the 10% focus groups (like area homeowners/farmers /ect) to get them onboard & inflamed, meanwhile they preach the lies that it isn’t going to cost taxpayer anything to do what they say….which has never been the case.
The US has shutdown 200 refineries, and we have only 150 refineries that are over 60-110 years old trying to keep up with demand that keeps rising – its like entering your grandfather in back to back marathons, completely stupid. There are over 20 states that have no refineries in them now, and another 11 states that have less than 2 small refineries. S. Dakota & Arizona do not have any refineries and are a Petri dish for whether common sense or Environmental Anti-Industrial NIMBY thugs are going to win out and both are trying to birth the first new grassroots refinery in nearly 3 decades – watch closely these states future. Arizona as higher population and only has 2 product pipelines feeding the states gasoline stations – several times already Phoenix has had lines of cars waiting at empty pumps because one of two P/L that broke.
We need to view Serria Club, NDRC (National Defense Resource Council), and dozens of other elite groups who are usually backing the front groups like “Citizens against Hyperion”, because they don’t really care about the environment or the people they are just Environmental thugs and terrorist that want put the US back into the pre-Industrial area where there are no mines/manufacturing/processing in their little region of the world.
They caused our current Gasoline crisis by puking California fuels legislation – no lead, no MTBE, limited Sulfur in Fuels, Vapor Pressure Limits, = creating 14 different / non fungible specifications across the US…. that finally made it impossible for the surviving 150 refineries to keep up. So now we get high priced import gasoline from undeveloped countries that have little – if any, oversight on emissions/quality in their refineries – but of course that is not a NIMBY’s concern is it.
No one wants a power plant/line, gas plant/line or water plant/line near their house but it has to go somewhere & so the State / Fed takes the best sourcing area and says tough it goes here. We have come to that point on Energy resources now and it needs to happen yesterday.
People know that and when there is non-basis poll it shows up – but we are never going to see it ……. except outside liberal media. So it is time for industry to suck it up & quit being a punching bag – take it to the people and don’t let these environmental groups slide on the lies they tell
Regards
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