Environmental Awareness Committee Group opposes intended refinery

By: Jill Schramm
Editorial Staff Writer

Mar 9, 2004

MAKOTI - A group of Fort Berthold residents has formed a committee to raise awareness of environmental concerns associated with a proposed oil refinery.

Jodie White, White Shield, spokesperson for the Environmental Awareness Committee of Fort Berthold, said the group is concerned about water, air and soil pollution from a refinery. The committee plans a series of meetings this spring to discuss environmental issues related to the refinery.

"We thought we would try to oppose this through awareness," White said.

The Three Affiliated Tribes are partnering with Triad Project in Utah to build a $81 million refinery that would employ 65 employees. The refinery is to be built two miles west of Makoti.

The project will be built under standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, said Glenda Embry, public relations director for the tribe.

The refinery has received support from Gov. John Hoeven.

Technology has so improved that the sulfur released by the proposed refinery will be 30 times less than sulfur emissions from one car, Embry said. The tribe wants to be environmentally conscious while promoting economic development, she said.

"We believe we can be stewards of the earth and achieve balance between science and nature," she said.

White said plant officials in previous community meetings have failed to specify the state-of-the-art technologies that will be used to protect the environment. The EPA lists more than 600 toxic chemicals that are created in the refining process, she said.

"It's really scary. I am really worried for the people of Makoti," she said. "There's a school right there as well as the people of the surrounding area."

The committee also is concerned about a plan is to graze bison on land around the refinery.

The Environmental Awareness Committee has involved about 26 people at this point, White said. The group's main concern is the refinery, but White said it also is interested in the lignite industry and other environmental issues that affect people living on Fort Berthold.

The committee has invited representatives of Refinery Reform, an national group interested in cleaning up refineries, to speak at workshops to be scheduled in Fort Berthold communities this spring.

The committee is troubled by the lack of oversight by the State Health Department on the refinery, White said. The tribe is sovereign in its ability to oversee environmental regulations, although it does work with the federal EPA. Also, there is no separation of powers in tribal government to ensure those promoting the project also aren't the ones regulating it, White said.

"We have a lot of concerns because of that, with the control of the regulatory aspects and the monitoring aspects associated with this proposed refinery," she said. "We hope, ultimately, that it won't become a reality. I would really rather it not be anywhere in our state. We don't need another polluting entity in our state."

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