As Grist points out, this comes a mere 3 weeks before the election
(Interior Department) As part of the Obama Administration’s all-of-the-above energy strategy to expand domestic energy production, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar today announced approval of a ‘land-into-trust’ application from the Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation. Today’s action is one in a series of necessary approvals that will enable the tribes to build the first U.S. refinery in decades, supporting American made energy — including domestic resources from the Bakken Formation — while also creating jobs. …
If all required approvals are granted, the proposed MHA Nation Clean Fuels Refinery would be the first new refinery built in the United States in more than 30 years. … As proposed, the 13,000 barrel-per-day facility would refine Bakken Formation crude oil into diesel fuel, propane and naptha products for the U.S. market. Since the President took office, domestic oil and gas production has increased each year, with domestic oil production currently at an eight year high, and natural gas production at its highest level ever.
We’ll know how serious they are if Team Obama starts touting this on the campaign trail. If they do, we’ll know it is simply a campaign trick, and the “series of necessary approvals” will never materialize. Furthermore, while more diesel fuel is good for truckers and some other vehicles, it doesn’t help the average driver.
Am I alone in wondering if the administration actually thinks they’re fooling anyone with this?
Nope. I’m betting this comes up in tonights debate or the next presidential one, and it’ll be positioned as a done deal, rather than one which will probably never survive the process.
Wanna bet this gets cited by john?
So the answer to MC’s question is “it will fool fools.”
Does anyone find it ODD that it is on an indian reservation? What they sell back to the US won’t be as cheap as they sell it on-res.
And, hey guys, let’s not forget, they may have been at this for 5 years or more. And, if Romney is elected, it is right on time for the Repubs to help push through.
I think the Repubs really need to get on the ball and start planning for the future. Get these job-creating, energy-producing projects started NOW!!!! so that by this time next year we can already seeing the fruits of the labor.
First, Id open up closed military bases to bidding for sites of gas refineries. Eliminate all blends of gas (allowing states to choose if they want more of course).
2)BEG!!!! Canada to allow us to resign the Keystone Pipeline deal.
3)Cut red tape on nuclear power plants.
4)Open up federally held off-shore drilling lease areas.
5)Start looking at selling federal lands back to states.
6)Overturn the Clinton national park grabs that locked away coal mining.
7)PUSH hard – but don’t mandate – for CNG bi-fuel vehicles.
8)Take back any remaining stimulus funding\Tarp funding.
9)End all subsidies to private industries\persons\foreign countries.
10)FORCE 3rd party federal lawsuits to pay their own way, especially when they lose.