The following first appeared in South Dakota Watch last week concerning a proposed refinery in Union County, South Dakota.  But where to put new refineries is also a Kansas issue.  Why not put them where the old ones have gone out of business and are “brownfields”?

Why Not a Brownfield for a Green Hyperion Refinery?

While here in the Kansas Oil Patch with my father who used to work in the Kansas Oil Patch, we’ve had quite a view discussions about the oil patch.

I learned today from Rodney that a former boss of mine is working with a group to redevelop the 21st Street industrial area of Wichita where there is an old MBPLX meet packing plant—and guess what!—an old Derby oil refinery.

The Derby site, like the previously mentioned Augusta site (and another in El Dorado, the former home of the Pester refinery) are already “brownfields.” In other words, contaminated.

So, why does it make sense to tear up some of the best farm land in the USA in Union County, put a refinery there, and pollute another big plot of ground? There are plenty of former refinery sites right here in Kansas. They also have the infrastructure in place right now to hook into oil crude lines. They also have a trained work force.

Expand the search of brownfields across the nation and there are probably tens if not hundreds of similar sites. Even a green refinery is a messy business. That’s just the nature of hydrocarbons.

Why not redevelop a former refinery site that already needs cleaning up rather than polluting productive farm land?

Like I’ve said, I’m undecided about a refinery in Union County. I understand the need for oil and refined products and even refineries. But I don’t count myself as a fan of Hyperion. And I don’t understand making a new mess before cleaning up an old one. My momma taught me that.