"BISMARCK, N.D. — A North Dakota judge has upheld a state permit allowing construction to begin on an oil refinery near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, upsetting environmental groups hoping to stop the project.

Judge Dann Greenwood ruled that the state Health Department has effectively supported its position that the $800 million Davis Refinery will not be a major source of pollution that will negatively impact the park just 3 miles (5 kilometers) away.

The agency’s “expertise is entitled to deference when, as here, the subject matter is complex,” Greenwood wrote in a ruling dated Wednesday."

Blake Nicholson reports for the Associated Press January 24, 2019. [2]