The chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes says the tribal government is already working on plans to expand an oil refinery that’s now under construction near Makoti.
The refinery will make 20,000 gallons of diesel each day. Chairman Tex Hall says it should be open in 2015. But he says with the growth in oil production on Fort Berthold, there may be three-thousand wells just within the reservation boundaries – and production from those wells could reach 300,000 barrels per day.
"We're going to look at getting another permit for a bigger refinery," said Hall. "It doesn't make sense to ship this good quality crude down the road. And it's less of a footprint to refine it right here."
Hall says tribal leaders are already working on the plans.
Hall says there are "hundreds" of jobs available on Ft. Berthold. He says some of those jobs are for relief workers in the oil industry.
"With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, the companies are saying, 'Oh my God -- we depend on a lot of out of state people, and they're leaving for the holiday," said Hall. "Production doesn't stop."
Hall says "Help Wanted" signs are also out for the supporting businesses.
