Refinery incentive bill nixed
Refinery incentive bill nixed
By STU MERRY
BHG NEWS SERVICE
There will be no incentive to build a new oil refinery in the state.
Legislators sealed the fate of HB 1446 this past Thursday, putting to rest any hope that funds would be available to entice an oil company to build a new facility. The vote was 57-36.
Rep. Kenton Onstad, D-Parshall, one of the sponsors of the bill, lamented the bill’s defeat at this past Saturday’s Legislative Luncheon in Garrison. He said the bill would have been good for North Dakotans, reasoning that it would have lowered refined prices for diesel and would have provided a new market for production companies.
Onstad speculated that if a new refinery were built, it could have eliminated some of the discounts on oil. He thinks a new refinery could have created 200 good paying jobs in northwest North Dakota.
