Opponents of refinery location take case to Supreme Court

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Two environmental groups who say North Dakota regulators should have intervened in the location of an oil refinery near the state’s top tourist attraction, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, are taking their case to the state Supreme Court.

The Bismarck Tribune says the Public Service Commission last year declined to review whether the refinery could be built just 3 miles (5 kilometers) from the park in the western Badlands. Regulators concluded the refinery would be too small to warrant review under state law.

The Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Dakota Resource Council don’t believe developer Meridian Energy Group is being forthright about the refinery’s size and asked a state judge to force the commission to hold a hearing. The judge sided with commissioners who didn’t want to get involved.

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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com