Company denies skirting law with refinery near national park

BISMARCK, N.D. — The developer of a proposed oil refinery near picturesque Theodore Roosevelt National Park on Tuesday told North Dakota regulators that the company isn’t trying to skirt state permitting law, though opponents say questions remain about the true scope of the project.

The state Public Service Commission questioned Meridian Energy Group officials during an informal meeting on why the company’s production capacity for the Davis Refinery is listed at 49,500 barrels per day — just under the 50,000-barrel threshold that triggers a PSC siting review.

Such a review, which can take months and cost a company hundreds of thousands of dollars, ensures a proposed project is a good fit for the area’s environment and residents. Some opponents believe the company is trying to avoid a review because it might reveal the proposed site near the park isn’t good for the region.

While the company is within the law, “it doesn’t sit well with folks,” Commissioner Julie Fedorchak said. “Let’s be honest. It looks like you’re just barely skirting the siting requirements.”


More: http://www.mysanantonio.com/business/eagle-ford-energy/article/Company-denies-skirting-law-with-refinery-near-12442558.php



In this Wednesday, May 24, 2017 photo, a bison munches grass in Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota.

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Al Franken Is Being Urged To Reverse His Resignation And Go Through With Ethics Investigation

A number of Democrats are feeling remorseful over what is now being considered a rush to judgement in dealing with allegations of sexual misconduct against Senator Al Franken. Franken has been asked to reconsider his resignation, even though his successor, Minnesota Lt. Governor Tina Smith has been named. Politico:

The feeling that Franken should reconsider has gained some steam outside of the Senate, too, among Democratic donors and others, including a former Republican governor of Minnesota, Arne Carlson.

“I and many other people — and specifically feminists — feel that it’s not too late, that he should not resign, and that the rush to sweep him out was ill-conceived, and we think that he has been supportive of women and women’s issues,” said Emily Jane Goodman, a retired New York state Supreme Court judge who’s helped start a Feminists for Franken group on Facebook. “Although we do deplore any kind of gender-based misconduct, we think at the same time he is entitled to a fair hearing.”

The group directly counters Gillibrand’s statement that there should be no gradations made in assessing problematic sexual conduct: “We believe it is crucial to make distinctions and to respond proportionally,” the group’s mission statement reads.


More: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/12/18/1725504/-Al-Franken-Is-Being-Urged-To-Reverse-His-Resignation-And-Go-Through-With-Ethics-Investigation

US stands alone, defiant at UN Security Council over Jerusalem

Source: CNN

(CNN) Exercising its veto power at the United Nations for the first time, the Trump administration torpedoed a Security Council resolution critical of the White House's unilateral recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley cast the veto, blocking the resolution, introduced by Egypt, despite the 14 other members of the Security Council voting in favor.

"Today for the simple act of deciding where to put our embassy, the United States was forced to defend its sovereignty. The record will reflect that we did so proudly," Haley said after the vote.

"Today for acknowledging a basic truth about the capital city of Israel, we are accused of harming peace. The record will reflect that we reject that outrageous claim. For these reasons and with the best interest of both the Israeli and the Palestinian people firmly in mind, the United States votes no on this resolution."

Palestinian leaders slammed the US decision, citing it as further proof the White House could no longer play an impartial role in any Israeli-Palestinian peace process. A spokesman for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the US veto "contravenes the resolutions of international community and Security Council resolutions and represents a complete bias with the [Israeli] occupation and aggression," according to Wafa, the official Palestinian news agency.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/18/middleeast/us-un-security-council-jerusalem/index.html

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