Farmers Fight New Tar SAnds Refinery

South Dakota:Farmers fight plans for new oil refinery

By Drew Griffin and Kathleen Johnston
CNN Special Investigations Unit

ELK POINT, South Dakota (CNN) — Farmland stretches as far as the eye can see — row upon row of corn stalks waving in the breeze. It’s an unlikely place to watch America debate its energy crisis but a battle is raging in this corner of South Dakota over what could be the nation’s first new oil refinery in 30 years.
Hyperion chief executive Albert Huddleston sent CNN a tape of comments in lieu of an interview.

Awash in oil money, and problems

Energy Hunt: Fort McMurray was a sleepy town on the Canadian frontier until oil transformed it into a boomtown with tons of opportunities – and concerns.

By CNN’s Ali Velshi and Katie Engelhart

Last Updated: July 10, 2008: 3:32 PM EDT

FORT MCMURRAY, Alberta (CNN) — On a hot summer day, there’s a distinct smell around the remote, northern town of Fort McMurray, Canada. You might think it’s the oil being processed at nearby plants. But most residents will tell you it’s the smell of money.

Most Americans probably don’t know that one third of the world’s known oil deposits are buried in the dirt of Canada’s Alberta province. The Oil Sands of Canada – as they are known – contain the largest known oil deposit in the world, significantly larger than that of Saudi Arabia. One and a half million barrels of oil are extracted from the land every day, most of it sent directly to the U.S.

Alberta supplies about ten percent of America’s imported oil – some of it from conventional wells, but a growing amount from Oil Sands. And the fast-growing industry has turned the town of Ft. McMurray into a bonafide “boomtown” with folks here juggling new riches – and new problems.