“The proposed improvements would allow the Flint Hills Resources refinery, about 20 miles south of St. Paul, to come closer to its processing capacity of 320,000 barrels of crude per day and also reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide, spokesman Jake Reint said.

“However, the upgrade will increase the output of carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas linked to climate change. The Pine Bend refinery, the largest in Minnesota, currently contributes about 3.5 million tons of carbon dioxide, or 2 percent of Minnesota’s total greenhouse-gas emissions, according to Flint Hills,” via Associated Press.