Commentary by H.G. Listiak

Monday 10/20/2003

Welcome to my world, where of course I'm preaching to the choir when I say Arizona needs a gas refinery. That message came in loud and clear this past summer, with stations out of fuel, long lines at the gasoline blessed fuel stops, and price gouging enough to make a corner loan shark blush. Arizona is one of only two states not equipped to refine it's own gas. With the glut of gas guzzlers arriving almost daily, there is no doubt that the archaic pipeline system is frankly, just not going to cut it no matter how loud the pipers play their song. We sorely need a refinery and we have people trying to build one, but there are more glitches than a gorilla on a laptop. Not only will it take a long time to build, but there are not only onzone, but racial issues as well. The last refinery in the U.S. was built in 1979. Since then tighter air pollution regulations and local concerns have blocked all other attempts. The company, Arizona Clean Fuels, faces an uphill battle, especially with the new ozone regulations and expected environmental complaints. The location near Mobile, some call it Mobil, could end up a racial issue. The Mobile or Mobil Community Council threatens to go to court over the project's site, an historically black area. Mobile some call it Mobil, was founded by black share croppers from Mobile, Alabama. Their attorney is ready to file a discrimination suit because the area already has two landfills. He says the only solution is to bar the refinery, adding the trod-on minority community doesn't want it there. So, in a nutshell, the much needed refinery situation has turned into a major mess. But a mess that needs to be worked out now and not when we are all back in line waiting to overpay 5 bucks a gallon for gas, as I see it ... I'm H.G. Listiak.