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Monday, March 31, 2008
Dakota oil refinery gets Philly review
  Oil refineries are expensive, dirty eyesores, and a central element of modern industrial society. It's hard to build new ones. The Delaware River refineries, in Paulsboro, South Philadelphia, Westville, Marcus Hook and Delaware City, are all more than 50 years old. That's part of the reason gasoline is so expensive.

  Hyperion Resources Inc., of Dallas, wants to build $10 billion, 400,000-barrel-a-day refinery near Elk Point, S. Dak. to turn Canadian crude into fuel for the thirsty U.S. gasoline market.

  John J. Curry, who grew up in Elk Point, moved to Philadelphia to attend Penn, and now runs Harvest Equities in Center City, figured his old neighbors could use a little professional help figuring out what a refinery would do to surrounding Union County (pop. 13,000), beyond the 4,000 construction jobs and 1,800 permanent jobs Hyperion expects.
  Curry hired William F. Connor, president of project manager Remington Group, of Wayne, and Lisa L. Thomas, vice president of land planners Glackin Thomas Panzak, of Paoli, to review Hyperion's plan.

 "I don't live there anymore, so it's not appropriate for me to tell them what to do. If they want a refinery, let them build a refinery," Curry said. But, he added, "Let them also have a review, like other places." 
  Connor's and Glackins's report asked how Union would pay for new emergency, law enforcement, school, road, medical, and social services before Hyperion's starts begins paying taxes. They pushed for details on water, drainage and pollution controls. And they urged language to protect the community's right to regulate the property if Hyperion wins permission but doesn't actually build.
  The recommendations "were very helpful to us," said Union commissioner Ross Jordan. The county is putting Hyperion's amended plan to a vote in the South Dakota primary on June 3. 
  And yes, Jordan says, he knows what refineries look like: He grew up in suburban Camden before moving west in the 1980s to run a country club.

 

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About Joseph N. DiStefano
Joseph N. DiStefano writes this blog to feed his PhillyDeals column, which is printed in the business pages of The Philadelphia Inquirer every Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Joe has worked at the Inquirer, mostly, since 1988. He has also written for Bloomberg and Gannett, authored the book Comcasted, majored in economics at Penn, and fathered six children. Reach Joe at 215-854-5194 and JoeD@phillynews.com

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