Zoning Commission Endorses Change
January 17, 2008

ELK POINT, S.D. – Members of the Union County Planning and Zoning Commission last night recommended a zoning change of 3,882 acres at the proposed Hyperion Energy Center site outside Elk Point. The parcel of land in Union County is currently zoned for agricultural use. If approved by the Union County Board of Commissioners, it will be rezoned for Planned Development and will continue to be considered as a possible site for the Energy Center.

“We’re pleased the Planning and Zoning Commission has decided to make a recommendation to rezone the property,” said Project Executive Preston Phillips of Hyperion. “The members of the commission listened to hours of testimony and pored through hundreds of pages of technical scientific, economic and environmental reports before making their decision. To have gained the backing of the commission is a step in the right direction.”

Phillips noted the strong level of state and local support for the Energy Center. “This project is an economic engine for jobs, taxes and opportunity,” Phillips said. “The Energy Center would bring approximately 1,800 good-paying jobs to the area and has been endorsed by several local organizations such as the North Sioux City Economic Development Corp., Elk Point City Council and the Vermillion Chamber of Commerce.”

The Commission’s recommendation will go to the Union County Board of Commissioners next, which will consider the opinion of the Planning and Zoning Commission as well as the merits of the Energy Center. “We were happy to provide the Zoning Commission with detailed information on our project and applaud them for their diligence. We look forward to continuing this informed discussion with the County Commissioners as they consider the recommendation made by the Zoning Commission today,” Phillips said.

The Hyperion Energy Center will include a 400,000 barrel-per-day refinery producing ultralow sulfur gasoline and diesel and an IGCC (Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle) power plant. The center will incorporate green principles in its every day functions and integrate only the most advanced commercially feasible emission control technologies in its operations, as spelled out in the company’s Green Charter.