Aleut Ventures asks state to renew Cold Bay fuel plant spill plan; comment opens Friday

Aleut Ventures LLC has asked the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to renew the oil spill prevention and response plan for its Frosty Fuels Cold Bay Bulk Plant. DEC takes public comment from Friday, Oct. 30, through Dec. 1.

The plan, formally an Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan, must commit enough resources to prevent and respond to a "realistic maximum discharge" from the plant's operations, according to the DEC public notice. The notice says a potential risk exists of spills reaching state lands or waters. The current plan expires April 7, 2027.

The plant on Reeve Avenue holds up to 568,416 gallons of jet fuel, aviation and unleaded gasoline and diesel. Fuel arrives by marine delivery and goes out to aircraft, facility tank trucks and vehicles. Cold Bay's dock, the town's only fuel source, has been closed since August, Alaska News reported Oct. 16.

Frosty Fuels is a subsidiary of Aleut Ventures, which opened a Frosty Fuels crew and fueling facility at Cold Bay Airport in September. DEC last took comment on a plan for the same facility in fall 2021, under a notice that named Aleut Enterprises as the applicant.

The notice reports no spill. DEC's contaminated-site record for the Cold Bay Frosty Fuel Tank Farm lists the site as active. Contamination was found there in 1992, and weathered aviation gasoline and diesel have been detected in monitoring wells. DEC approved fuel recovery and site study work in 2023 and 2024 and a 2026 groundwater monitoring plan in February.

Residents of the affected area or the governing body of an affected municipality may request a public hearing in writing before Nov. 16. DEC may hold one if it finds good cause.