Work could begin soon on a new oil refinery in Green River, Utah, bringing more than a hundred stable new jobs to that community.
The Governor’s Office of Economic Development will provide more than 12-million dollars in tax incentives to Rock River Resources, based in Houston. It’s agreed to create 125 new jobs at its proposed refinery to be built next to I-70 in Green River. The state has already issued an air quality permit for the project, and construction on rail links to the site could begin this summer.
Emery County Economic Development Director Mike McCandless says the project will give a huge boost to Green River, which currently depends on seasonal jobs in tourism and agriculture.
“It creates a stable base of employment to be able to retain people, retain kids who currently graduate from high school and leave, to retain other businesses who currently close in November and re-open in April," McCandless tells KUER. "It basically is a spark that keeps that constant.”
The first phase of the refinery will process light crude oil produced in Utah, generating about 10-thousand barrels a day of kerosene and diesel fuel. The second phase will specialize in the heavy black wax crude produced in the Uintah Basin.
