Someone Is Going To Wake-Up To A Half-Billion Dollar Surprise -- KFYR-TV -- July 6, 2016

Someone will be surprised when they find that the project is not one-half million dollars but one-half billion dollars.

It looks like the project is already costing more than originally estimated.

But first the news that will shock someone when they find out how much this is really going to cost.

KFYR-TV is reporting:

The July 3 storm destroyed a big part of a half million dollar project (sic): the start of a fertilizer plant for farmers and ranchers at Dakota Gasification Company, near Beulah.

That's what was reported on the news or in the transcription: one-half million dollars.

In fact, it's a half-billion dollar project: $500,000,000 with a "b" and eight (8) zeroes, not $500,000 with an "m" and only five (5) zeroes.

But at least the headline writer got it right. The screenshot of the on-line story:

The project was initially estimated to be a $402 million project but they're now calling it a $500 million project (at least in the headlines).

Two comments:

• possibly the headline writers simply rounded the number, something I often do; even at $402 million, I might round to $500 million 
• I'll give the reporter a break; I make many, many typographical errors -- some I catch, some I don't

A much bigger question, seriously, though, is how much this will set the project back. It was supposed to be completed by next spring.