The Three Affiliated Tribes is planning to break ground this spring on a $400 million refinery near Makoti. Could be old news here, I was tipped off by my April 3 civil engineering news blog, and I'm catching up.
The project's chief executive said that the Thunder Butte Petroleum Services refinery will be capable of turning 20,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude oil into diesel fuel, propane and naphtha.
The tribes began working on the refinery project about 10 years ago. The project has taken extensive time because of the various federal permits and other approvals the tribes are required for the project.
Tribes aren't soverign, anymore?
Ground was broken last week on the Dakota Prairie Refinery west of Dickinson, and another refinery is proposed in the Trenton area. The Tesoro Mandan Refinery at Mandan is currently North Dakota's only refinery.