EPA approves permit for Makoti refinery
EPA approves permit for Makoti refinery
By STU MERRY
The Environmental Protection Agency has approved a key permit for the proposed petroleum refinery on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation near Makoti.
The Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara (MHA) Nation Clean Fuels Refinery is expected to be one of the few oil refineries to be constructed in the United States in the last 30 years, and be capable of refining 15,000 barrels of oil per day.
This permit represents an important milestone and a tremendous opportunity for the Three Affiliated Tribes and our state,” said Sen. John Hoeven, who made the announcement late this past week. “It will create new jobs, especially for members of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation, and make it possible for North Dakota to play a more integral role in the entire cycle of oil production, from its crude extraction to consumer use.”
Hoeven is a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the Indian Affairs Committee of the U.S. Senate.
The refinery project is expected to create up to 1,000 jobs during its approximately two-year construction phase. Once in operation, the refinery is expected to create 65 permanent jobs.
When it is built, the refinery will turn crude oil from the Alberta, Canada tar sands into propane, jet fuel, gasoline and diesel. Refinery officials said the refinery will be unique in that it will be able to meet current and proposed EPA regulations.
