MEDORA, N.D. (AP) - A Houston-based company that wants to build an oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota has amended its state air quality permit application with a new design it believes will lower emission rates and construction cost.
The Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/2p0EigP ) reported that Meridian Energy Group’s new permit application has its refinery emitting less than 100 tons annually of each criteria pollutant, such as sulfur and nitrous oxide. It would also emit less than 25 tons annually of hazardous air pollutants, including cyanide and arsenic.
Meridian’s CEO Bill Prentice said the redesign is for a smaller, sleeker refinery which plans to have new technology that uses available heat sources.
“By getting rid of that heater unit, there is less piping, valves, fugitive emissions; it all adds up. It’s the latest and greatest, less heat-intensive technology,” Prentice said.
Besides meeting ambient air quality standards, the refinery’s proximity to the national park means it will also be subject to stringent Class 1 air quality standards.
Air quality environmental engineer Craig Thorstenson said he expects the company will be challenged to meet the criteria.
“It’s going to be difficult for them to meet that threshold. It’s a relatively large refinery to be a minor source. Based on the location and the type of facility, I expect the review process to be very significant,” he said.
Thorstenson said the State Health Department’s Air Quality Division review process will take between six months to a year.
The company hopes the project will go live in 2018, though construction has not yet begun.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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