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Officials of the proposed oil refinery in Union County began speaking publicly this week. On Tuesday (yesterday) at the Union County Commission meeting, Hyperion Resources Inc. officials presented the company’s plans to seek rezoning of land that is being considered for the Hyperion Energy Center, Project Executive Preston Phillips said, according to a Nov. 30 press release. Next week, Hyperion officials will host three evening meetings: • Monday, Dec. 10 from 6:00 to 10 p.m. at the Beresford Community Center, 601 S. Seventh St. in Beresford, S.D.; • Tuesday, Dec. 11, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at Dakota Valley Elementary School, 80 Northside Drive, North Sioux City, S.D., and • Wednesday, Dec. 12 from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Elk Point-Jefferson High School, 402 S. Douglas St., in Elk Point, S.D. Union County residents may have received a mailer about these meetings. Citizens for Hyperion co-chairman Joseph “JB” Mercer encourages all to bring their questions. “As I understand it, this will not be a speaker meeting at the front-audience type of meeting,” said Mercer. “My understanding is that there will be multiple booths where you can go and ask questions, get information, etc. I am not sure of all the booths they will have but I would come with economic, environmental, etc. questions. I do know that all of the questions that some may feel need to be answered RIGHT NOW cannot possibly be answered.” “(Yesterday’s meeting with the Commissioners) is an important step in the site selection process, for both us and the community,” Phillips said. “We’re excited to discuss our plan with the Commissioners.” The company plans to file its proposal with Union County after talking with the Commission. Hyperion will ask that the zoning be changed from Agricultural to Planned Development. Planned Developments are permitted and contemplated by the Union County Zoning and Subdivision Ordinance to address the zoning of large tracts of land to be developed in an integrated fashion. Planned Development processes are commonly used by counties and municipalities to provide regulations specific to the unique circumstances of large-scale developments. Hyperion has options on over 10,000 acres of land in Union County, Phillips said. “One of our goals from the beginning for each of the sites we’re considering is to secure not only enough land to build the energy center, but also enough ground to have a substantial buffer zone around the facilities. Our land acquisition team, and especially our local representatives, has done an excellent job.” Given the importance of this project to all of Union County, Hyperion has decided to seek a referendum if granted its request for a planned development by the county commissioners. “We are committed to being the strong corporate citizens the residents of Union County can be proud to call their neighbors,” Phillips said. “In the spirit of our corporate dedication to transparency, we think it is only responsible for us to encourage the residents of the county to make this decision.” “With the depth of support in the community for the project, we believe the Energy Center will fare well in a referendum,” he added. “However, if the majority of voters in Union County do not want us here, then we will surely find a home where we are welcome.” Phillips noted that by all measures, there is strong support for the Hyperion Energy Center, and doubly so at the local and regional levels. “Just recently, the Elk Point City Council, Vermillion Chamber of Commerce and the North Sioux City Economic Development Corp. have all endorsed the project, and there’s real momentum building,” he said. “This project is an economic engine for jobs, taxes and opportunity,” said Phillips. “People in this area are excited about the prospects of having 1,800 of good paying jobs provided by the most environmentally sound facility in the country.” Phillips also noted it is neither strategically nor environmentally responsible for the United States to outsource its ability to produce oil, jobs and refining capacity. “Every barrel of petroleum produced in North America should stay in North America,” said Phillips. Hyperion, the Dallas-based energy company, is in the site-selection phase of building the Hyperion Energy Center. The center will include a 400,000 barrel-per day refinery producing ultra-low sulfur gasoline and diesel, as well as an IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) utility plant. All facilities associated with the Hyperion Energy Center will incorporate the most advanced commercially feasible emission control technologies and adhere to green principles, as spelled out in the company’s Green Charter. Hyperion is a company dedicated to ensuring that America has adequate energy supply and that this energy is produced in an environmentally responsible manner. Hyperion is devoted to raising the standards by which the entire energy industry is judged. Editor’s Note: Look for coverage of the Dec. 4 Commission meeting next week.

photo by Nancy Enstrom

photo by Nancy Enstrom

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