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				C.O.O.P. Citizens Opposed to Oil Pollution
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Consequences of the Numbers

The amount of groundwater polluted by oil will increase dramatically. Folks living north of the refinery boarder will probably escape damage. Those living south, southeast and southwest will eventually find their wells polluted with first light hydrocarbons like toluene then later with heaver oily pollutants. Some directly south of the refinery may have their surface water polluted. This is especially likely after a heavy rain and in the spring when the snow melts. Sioux City will have a serious drinking water problem within months to a year.

If Union County follows the trends seen in other Refinery Counties, and there is no reason to believe it won't, the poverty level will nearly triple over 5 years.

The population of Union County will nearly double (13,000 to 23,000) during construction. Who is going to pay for the infrastructure needed for such a huge and sudden increase in population? You can bet the farm it isn't going to be Hyperion! Unfortunately, some folks seem quite happy to bet your farm. Just think what this is going to do to your property taxes.

Lets look a little deeper into this population surge. Out of 10,000 construction workers, how many are married? How many will bring their families? Lets say 50% as a conservative number. Now since construction workers tend to be younger, what percent of these families have children? Again, let's be conservative and say 50%. Now let's make a silly assumption: All of these families have only one child.  So, that means there will be an additional 2,500 children entering the Union County school system. Where are the teachers coming from? Where are the classrooms coming from? Where are the bus drivers and busses coming from? I'll bet you can guess. It's not Hyperion. It's your pocket!

How about the non-English speaking children? How about the cultural differences? How about the economic differences? How about the turn over and disruption as children enter and leave school? Union County has never had to deal with these problems. Sound like an improvement in your children's education? If you're a teacher are you prepared for this?

Are our elected officials thinking about the effect of having 25% (workers only) to 50% (workers and spouses) of the county voters being employed by an oil company? How will this affect county politics? Will these new industrial workers support our farmers and their needs? Does anyone think they'll be in favor of feed lots or hog confinements or even tractors on the roads?

House trailers could increase by 1300%! Do we have proper zoning laws to accommodate this increase in trailers, sewage, water demands, roads, and  subdivisions? How about police, fire, emergency medical response, electricity, and even telephones for such areas?

Here's another looming problem. Guns. South Dakota doesn't have a "gun problem" like some populous states and big cities. We get along, our kids grow up around guns and hunting, our laws are not restrictive, and we have very very few problems. What happens when we have an influx of folks and kids who haven't grown up in our tradition? 

There is actually an excellent example. When Texas experienced a large population influx during their last economic upturn they had a gun related disaster. Children my the dozen killed themselves and other children in gun related accidents. Adults died in gun accidents, hunting accidents, and homicide. Why? Because the newcomers didn't educate themselves or their children about guns. The locals never thought about it. The results? Tragedy. The eventual solution was a strong education program in schools, state sponsored adult education, some changes in the gun laws, and eventually an economic down turn. Do we really want to go through this here in South Dakota? Do you want to worry every time your child brings home a new friend? Are you concerned about the ease with which some new resident can carry a firearm?

These consequences are just the tip of the iceberg.

Watch these pages for more "Consequences of the Numbers."