A huge North Pole fuel terminal's spill plan is up for renewal — and residents have reason to look

It's a routine filing — no spill, no violation, no expansion. But a renewal now open for public comment carries more weight in North Pole than the paperwork suggests. Crowley's Moose Creek Terminal, which holds nearly 33 million gallons of jet fuel just off a residential road, is renewing the plan that spells out how it would prevent and respond to a spill, and area residents have until July 29 to weigh in.

Few communities have more reason to care about fuel and groundwater than this one. North Pole and neighboring Moose Creek spent years dealing with contamination that seeped from the area's former refinery into private wells — a separate facility and a separate history, but one that left residents keenly aware of what can happen when fuel meets the water table.

State environmental regulators are reviewing the plan under rules that require large fuel facilities to keep their spill-response strategies current. Residents can comment through July 29, and those in the affected area can ask for a formal hearing if they request one by July 14.