News From Central Illinois and elsewhere (Fulton, Havana: oil refinery, maintenance, motel)

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Many of the IL forum members and guests are aware that when the reclamation project in Mason and Fulton counties is finished it will cover 14,000 acres and rival the Florida Everglades in size. Currently a little over one-third of the project is complete and open for public use.

Job Opportunities in Havana and elsewhere

A recent item in the local newspaper mentions the City of Havana is letting bids for three major projects: Motel, Convention Center and Water Park. This work ought to keep our talented Illinois trades people en busy for at least a year once it begins. Construction will not begin until after the bidding proccess is completed.

As an aside, Saudia Arabia and Exxon (") has partnered to build a new oil refinery at Port Arthur, La. The project will require 4500 workers to build it. Once finished 2500 people will be hired for management and maintenance positions. .

Also, a small refinery is going up in either ND or SD. Its being billed as the first "green" refinery in North America.

Aside. , I don't know if any of this is going to drive down the price of gasoline. According to my cousin our oil producing weils in Texas and Oklahoma were capped in the 70s because congress thought we were prodcing too much oil. The one thing I do know is that when I traveled to Texas to look at property, the wells were producing, and the price of a gallon of gas in Midland, Texas was higher than gasoline any state in the union.

Twenty years from now we may look back all the postureing and discover it did nothing more than benefit the oil barons.