Proposed Oil Refinery Threatens Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Medora, ND – Meridian Energy Group, Inc. is one step closer to building a 55,000 barrel-per-day crude oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park with its recent air permit application submission to the North Dakota Department of Health, Air Quality Division. The state of North Dakota will determine whether the proposal complies with air quality regulations.

Concurrently, the State of North Dakota is reviewing Meridian Energy Group’s water permit for the oil refinery proposal, requesting four times the quantity that Meridian initially proposed.

The fast-moving proposal is opposed by current and former superintendents of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and many people in the state and local area. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a renowned site in the history of U.S. conservation, and was listed by the New York Times as one of 52 places to travel in 2016.

Below is a statement by Bart Melton, Northern Rockies Regional Director for National Parks Conservation Association

“As the air permit review begins on the industrial oil refinery proposed next to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, National Parks Conservation Association urges the most stringent review of this harmful proposal.

“Under the Clean Air Act, Theodore Roosevelt National Park is afforded the highest level of air quality protection. Pollution from an industrial facility of this size, less than three miles from the park, threatens the park’s pristine air and scenic views. Refineries emit the types of air pollution that pose a risk to human health, wildlife and plants.

“Just as we shouldn’t allow an oil refinery to be built within view of Yellowstone or Yosemite national parks, we will fight against the Meridian refinery, proposed within view of President Roosevelt’s namesake national park. An oil refinery and associated industrial development would fundamentally threaten the pristine air and other conservation values that our nation committed to protect when we created Theodore Roosevelt National Park.”

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About National Parks Conservation Association Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association has been the leading voice in safeguarding our national parks. NPCA and its more than one million supporters work together to protect and preserve our nation’s natural, historical, and cultural heritage for future generations. For more information, visit www.npca.org.