Round 2 begins

August 12th, 2009

Round 2 begins

At the risk of being premature, round 2 of the Hyperion process is beginning. The Federal Game, Fish and Parks will be conducting a series of public meetings for people to make input about the environmental conditions of the Missouri River. This meeting is not publicized, but I happen to run across the announcement on the internet the other day. Is it coincidence that the meeting in Vermillion just happens to be the same day that the BME is meeting for the final time on Hyperion? Naw, it just happened. The GFP is holding meetings all along the Missouri to St. Louis to hear concerns about dangers to the environment along the Missouri.

I have to feel like this is a gift from the God’s. This is the perfect opportunity to get the federal government involved in the Hyperion refinery dispute. We can show the damage that is going to be caused by the discharged water from the refinery back into the Missouri. We will never give up. Now we can show them things that nobody else will listen to. DENR has no jurisdiction in this area. These are federal waterways. This water, especially around Elk Point is part of a protected waterway because of Ponca State Park on the Nebraska side of the river.
If we can get the federal GFP involved in this, then the EPA can step in and stop the project. It is really a shame that we have to go the route to stop them, but since the state won’t listen and take action on this; it is the only choice we have left for now.


We will fight Hyperion at every turn, and hopefully someday somehow, somebody will sit up and take notice. Until then, every opportunity to voice our concerns must be taken. I’ve said this many times before, and I’ll say it again quoting the famous Yogi Berra. “It ain’t over till it’s over.” I’m convinced that when things look their bleakest, is when we will have an opportunity to cut through all this state government B.S. and people will listen. I had a letter to the editor in last week’s Argus Leader and when you look at the comments online, we are picking up sympathy and support from the Sioux Falls Area. Now all we need to do is get statewide coverage and we increase our chances in this.

One thing about the Hyperion application is that is says how they will get the water out, but the only way to get the water back to the river is by dumping the water into a 500 acre lake and let it percolate back into the river through the shallow aquifer. What a load of crap. If this is what they believe is the solution for polluted water to become clear and cleaner than when it came in (they state that water returned to the river will be cleaner than when it came in), they gotta be absolutely nutty. They state that the artificial lake they make will be ideal for family outings, boating, swimming and fishing. And we have people that actually believe this. Would you go swimming in this water? Would you eat fish taken out of this water? These statements need to be filed in the same drawer that “GREEN” is filed. The trashcan!

If you don’t think the oil situation isn’t political, think about this for a minute. Hyperion is touting that we must reduce our dependence on foreign oil so Hyperion is enthusiastic about importing North American oil from the Alberta Tar Sands. They admit that Canada is a foreign country, but the oil is coming from North America. How about North Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and Utah? What are they chopped liver? The Bakken oil field stretches from North Dakota through Montana into Idaho, Utah, Wyoming and Colorado. It is the 2nd largest oil field in North America. Depending on what you read, there is up to 500 billion barrels, let me repeat that, up to 500 billion barrels of oil reserves untapped there. So why in the hell is everybody making such a big fuss about Alberta? If we have to have this oil, stay in the United States for crying out loud. I’ll tell you why, politics and the price of oil. There was an interview on PBS TV not too long ago with a Saudi Arabian prince, and he said we (United States) are so foolish he can’t believe it. The world price of oil should be no more than $30-$40 per barrel, but because we have oil listed on the commodities market, speculators are driving up the price and we let them do it. How stupid is that?

We are like dust blowing in the wind. What we think, what we are, what we believe doesn’t mean squat!