Groups sue North Dakota over oil refinery near national park
Source: Associated Press
Blake Nicholson, Associated Press
Updated 10:16 am CDT, Friday, July 13, 2018
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Three environmental groups are suing North Dakota over an air quality permit that allows construction of an $800 million oil refinery about 3 miles (5 kilometers) from Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
National Parks Conservation Association, the Environmental Law and Policy Center and the Dakota Resource Council filed the lawsuit in state court on Thursday, asserting that the state erred when it concluded the proposed Davis Refinery wouldn't be a major source of pollution and wouldn't negatively impact the park.
The lawsuit asks a judge to declare the permit invalid and send the case back to North Dakota's Health Department for further review.
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The 30,000-acre (12,000-hectare) park is named for the former U.S. president who ranched in the region in the 1880s and is revered for his advocacy of land and wildlife conservation. It's a rugged and breathtaking area of hills, ridges, buttes and bluffs where millions of years of erosion have exposed colorful sedimentary rock layers, and is home to a variety of wildlife including prairie dogs, wild horses and bison. The park is the state's top tourist attraction, drawing more than 700,000 visitors annually.
Read more: https://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Groups-sue-North-Dakota-over-oil-refinery-near-13072322.php
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