St. Paul Island fuel facility seeks state renewal of its oil spill plan

St. Paul Fuel, LLC has asked the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation to renew the spill prevention and response plan for its bulk fuel facility on St. Paul Island. The state takes public comment from Wednesday, Oct. 21, through 11:59 pm Nov. 20.

The facility receives fuel by barge and stores 1,110,445 gallons of diesel and jet fuel in two tank farms, then dispenses it to tank trucks at loading racks. Fuel barges reach the island only twice a year, the City of St. Paul says in a federal port grant application.

DEC's notice says a potential risk exists of oil spills entering state lands or waters. The plan must commit enough resources to respond to a "realistic maximum discharge," the worst-case spill DEC requires operators to plan against. The notice opens a review of the application. It is not an approval, and it does not report a spill.

The facility's storage capacity matches the 2021 renewal notice, which also listed fueling vessels among its operations. This year's notice does not mention vessel fueling.

The existing plan expires March 10, 2027, according to DEC's approved-plan listing. The renewal application is posted on DEC's plans under review page.

Affected residents or municipal governing bodies can request a hearing in writing by Nov. 5, and DEC says it will hold one only for good cause. Comments can be submitted through DEC's comment site, and commenters' names and full comments will be posted online, the notice says.