Plans have moved forward for the first new U.S. oil refinery in more than 30 years, as voters in South Dakota’s Union County approved a rezoning that would allow the project to be built. Energy company Hyperion Resources says the planned $10 billion facility would be a “green refinery” and would produce ultra-low-sulfur gasoline and diesel. (Never mind that it may suck as much as 12 million gallons of water a day from the Missouri River and generate 17.2 million tons of carbon dioxide per year). Hyperion has plenty of bureaucracy-wading left to do, and the project may face litigation from residents concerned about their health and the environment.
