Cairo Association of Teachers - Newsletter

CAT Tracks for June 7, 2007 TOP SECRET

Gorillas in the myst(ery) from the Sioux City Journal...

Gorilla project may be a refinery

SIOUX FALLS (AP) -- A proposed fuel refinery in southern Illinois bears similarities to what's known about a secret project in southeast South Dakota, a newspaper reported.

In a copyright story Wednesday, the Argus Leader of Sioux Falls said plans for a $3.4 billion Illinois refinery that would turn coal into clean-burning fuel are similar to the mystery development near Elk Point that's code-named the "Gorilla" project.

The project near Cairo, Ill., would employ up to 2,000 workers and require 2,500 to 3,000 acres, officials there confirmed Tuesday. The site is near the confluence of two major rivers -- the Mississippi and the Ohio -- because it requires enormous amounts of water to cool gases from the coal, a spokesman said.

"We have to have access to 13 million gallons of water a day," spokesman Bill Capie said of the Illinois project.

The Gorilla project, near the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers, would use 12 million gallons of river water per day for cooling purposes, Union County commissioners have been told.

Like the Illinois project, the Gorilla project reportedly would create as many as 2,000 jobs and require up to 5,000 acres of land.

Those who know more about the Elk Point project have signed confidentiality agreements not to disclose details.

A Texas energy firm that registered a Web site with Elk Point's name is associated with a group promoting the use of coal to produce clean-burning fuel.

The Internet domain names hyperionelkpoint.com and hyperionsd.com have been registered to the office of Hyperion Resources in Dallas, according to an Argus Leader search of public Internet registries.

Hyperion officials have declined to comment.

Hyperion shares the same address in a Dallas office building as the Clean COALition, which is backed by Hyperion Chairman Albert Huddleston and has expertise in turning coal into fuel, the Argus Leader reported.