California Reality -- April 30, 2015; Dickinson Refinery To Be On-Line By May?

The Dickinson Press is reporting:

Progress [of the MDU-Calumet topping plant west of Dickinson] toward operation, which began with a March 2013 groundbreaking, has been slower than expected. Rasmussen said the goal of having the facility fully operational by the end of May looks certain.

Interim plant manager replaced; new manager named.  

IIRC, this plant was supposed to be on-line last November/December time frame, then slipped to 1Q15, and now is near the end of 2Q15. 

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The Los Angeles Times is reporting:

Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to announce Thursday that the state is substantially trimming the amount of fish and wildlife habitat it plans to restore in connection with a controversial project to replumb the heart of California's water system.

This month, state water officials said they were overhauling a proposal to construct two massive water tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and restore more than 100,000 acres of delta habitat.

Among the changes that Brown is expected to detail at an Oakland news conference is the decision to move ahead with just 30,000 acres of habitat work in the next 3.5 years.
Years in the making, the plan is designed to lessen the environmental harm of delta water exports by building a new diversion point on the Sacramento River that would feed two 30-mile tunnels connected to existing pumping facilities that send supplies south to San Joaquin Valley growers and Southland cities.

The project also called for restoring 100,000 acres or more of habitat over five decades at a cost of $8 billion in federal and state funds.

A major goal of the plan was to gain a 50-year environmental permit for delta exports that would ease the endangered species restrictions that have cut delta deliveries.
But state water resources Director Mark Cowin this month said it had become apparent that the project couldn't meet the tough federal requirements for such long-term approvals.