Laurel Outlook from Laurel, Montana • 1

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Historic! 1 Library 225 North Roorrls (Gloria MT 501 Cenex upgrading means new Jobs the new process units would be on the west side of the rclinery behind the process plants visible from Highway 212 We will remove some tanks and put up the new processors he explained Following the upgrading refined fuel products including diesel and gasoline produced by the refinery will be lower in sulfur content meeting both current and anticipated recommendations of farm machinery automotive and heavy equipment manufacturers This project also upholds our ongoing commitment to the health and w'cli being of citizens in the Billings-Laurcl area stated Ocbser He noted that over the course of its two-year duration the project is expected to contribute significantly to the economy of the Billmgs-Laurcl area through local cmplomcnt as well as goods and services provided to out-of-town workers At the projects peak an estimated 400 people are expected to be employed reported Cenex Cenex currently produces an average of 42500 barrels per day of a variety of refined petroleum products at its Laurel Refinery Cenex is a regional agricultural supply cooperative serving 320000 farmers and ranchers in 15 states Through 1900 local cooperatives it supplies refined petroleum products propane lubricants tires batteries and automotive accessories plant food crop protection products and a wide range of farm information and management services Construction on one of the largest projects in Cenex history is planned for 1992 at the Laurel Refinery According to the Cenex office in St Paul MN the Laurel Refinery will undergo a major upgrading intended to enhance production of cleaner-burning fuel produces and reduce air emissions from the plant This project ranks as one of the largest in Cenex history said Robert Ocbser group vice president of Petroleum Exploration Production and Refining We believe it is essential to maintaining our commitment to providing our customers with high quality environmentally sound petroleum products Plant Manager Lou Day told the Laurel Outlook Tuesdav that preliminary work including 1 1 ling for permits will begin this fall We hope to start construction in the spring he said The project estimated to cost more than S80 million was recently approved by the Cenex Board of Directors The refinery project will consist of a fluid cat cracker feed desulfurizer a hydrogen plant and a sulfur recovery complex These components will remove sulfur from a portion ol crude oil that eventually is refined into gasoline and other fuels Completion of the project will result in the creation of 15-20 new positions at the refinery Day explained that these additional employees will operate the process units According to the plant manager Improvements slated The Laurel Cenex Refinery will be upgrading its operation beginning in 1992 Planned expansion includes facilities to produce fuels which will be lower in sulfur than those currently in production At its peak staff at the refinery will be increased by approximately 400 people Plant Manager Lou Day said between 15 and 20 of these positions will be permanent The refinery has been at the heart of recent environmental concerns of both state and federal agencies These concerns are being dealt with by the company The newly announced improvements are a separate project and are not a result of agency concerns Outlook photo by Lehnert-Feldhaus Wood's gets tax break i provide a quality product 2) maintain customer service and 3) provide community employment Cumin called the third goal outstanding Cumin also stated that Woods Powr-Grip is one of the best industries to locate in the Yellowstone Valley in several years The company will not be allowed a reduction in all of the mills it pays in property taxes Exempt mills include the 40 mill school equalization levy 6 mill university system levy 15 mill vo-tech levy and 55 mill mandatory elementary and high school state levies Woods Powr-Grip employs approximately 60 workers at its Laurel facility which builds suction devices for glass handling and other uses Twenty-six companies in Yellowstone County have qualified for the tax incentive since the program began in 1987 stays open Yellowstone County Commissioners Tuesday accepted Woods Powr-Grips application for a New and Expanded Industry Tax Incentive Program The program which was created in 1987 by the state legislature offers companies which are building or expanding facilities a county tax break over a ten year period Woods Powr-Grip will be taxed at 50 for the first five years Then for the next five years the percentage will be increased by equal percentages (10) until the full taxable value is a tained in the 10th year To receive tb is tax break a taxpayer must apply to the county assessor on a form provided by the Dept of Revenue According to County Planner Cal Cumin the County Commissioners were impressed by Woods application especially by the companys stated goals which are to: 1) Death case i I i i I 6 i i Explosive potential Laurel Volunteer Fireman Wayne Halverson is pictured above spraying flame-retardant foam on a propane delivery truck from the Laurel Co-op Firemen were called to the business at 5 pm Tuesday where a leaking propane tank had lost almost 60 percent of its cargo The services of the Laurel Police and Police Reserve Yellowstone County Sheriffs Department and Montana Highway Patrol were used to control traffic The Laurel Volunteer Ambulance Service and a fire crew from the Cenex Refinery were on stand-by at the scene Both vehicle and rail traffic were halted while the truck was towed to the landfill where its highly flammable gas could be safely disposed of Outlook photo by Lehnert-Feldhaus and no other wounds were found on the body Atkinson said this case is not being treated as a homicide It is an open case that has not been classified he stated The coroners final report stated the transient died from a blow to the head consistant with a fall The badly decomposed body of Sullivan was found near a downtown Laurel business July 18 by a Laurel Police Officer on foot patrol The coroner estimated the man had been dead at least five days By Lehnert-Feldhaus The case of the death of a transient whose body was found in downtown Laurel last month will remain open Laurel Police Captain Mike Atkinson said Yellowstone County Coroner Bill Jones said last week that Anthony Sullivan 45 a transient formerly of Butte died of a blunt force trauma to the head How the transient sustained the fatal injury will probably remain a mystery The coroner confirmed that the injury was consistent with a fall Weekly roundup of news from the Treasure State Sexual assault reported Shoshone National Forest reported hearing a wolf howl but so far wildlife biologists have been unable to confirm the presence of any of the animals If the wolf is sighted it will be captured and radio-collared for tracking said a biologist with the federal Fish and Wildlife Service The animal 'would then have to be included in the mangement plans for the forest and perhaps Yellowstone if the pack roamed into the park Reports of sightings of wolves in Montanas Beaverhead National Forest have also been recieved by the agency this month Those reports pul wolves within about 100 miles of the park along the Continental Divide Compiled by William Simonsen Bigfork Eagle national Wild and Scenic River program by 1993 A staff officer for forest head Dale Robertson was at a three day Wild and Scenic Rivers workshop in Kalispell lat week He said the system has grown from seven rivers in 1968 to more than 125 currently He said the agency has recommended an additional 178 rivers for inclusion in the system and is studying 334 more rivers The system limits development along designated rivers because they arc free-flowing without dams The laws which created the system attempted to preserve rivers aesthetic and recreational values Indian schools Children educated in Indian schools score worse on standard Mortgage company A mortgage company servicing 600000 loans worth S30 billion is expected to move its 18-state western headquarters to Montana Gov Stan Stephens announced Thursday Americas Lending Network Inc of Gaithersburg Md will get a S25 million investment from the state Board of Investments to help the relocation ALN is owned by the Standard Federal Savings Bank It services 200000 loans in western states and expects to employ 250 people in the state within five yearSfJhe company considered about 12 other states before chosing Montana Wild and scenic rivers The chief of the Forest Service wants to add 200 rivers to the ized achievcmcntlests than children educated at inner-city schools said a new report from the US Interior Department The department runs 180 Indian schools in 26 states through the Bureau of Indian Affairs The report by the departments inspector general said the 40000 children in its Indian schools scored in the lower third on achievement tests compared to Washington DC students which scored at the 4 1st percentile The report said the Indian schools were unsafe unhealthy and in deplorable con- dition Howling Wolf A report by a guide of a wolf howling in the backcountry of northwest of Yellowstone Park Earlier this month a guide in the parents Charges were filed following an investigation Jones was released from the Yellowstone County Jail last week on $2500 bond According to the Yellowstone County Clerk of Courts office Jones appeared with counsel before District Judge Robert Holmstrom on Friday Aug 2 He requested more time to prepare his plea the Clerk of Courts office reported Jones is scheduled to enter his plea before District Judge William Speare on Wednesday Aug 7 By Lehnert-Feldhaus Gerald Jones a Laurel man charged with sexually assaulting a 5-year-old girl is scheduled to enter a plea in District Court today Jones 54 was arrested on the felony assault warrant without incident July 30 by Laurel Police He was charged with allegedly fondling a young girl in February Laurel Police Captain Mike Atkinson said the alleged incident was reported July 23 by the childs jL.