The Parnell administration and Flint Hills Resources have reached agreement on a settlement for pollution cleanup at the former refinery site in North Pole, while negotiations and a court fight continue on what is to be done off the property.
A groundwater plume of sulfolane pollution, up to 3 miles long and 2 miles wide, remains a major concern in North Pole. The agreement reached last week sets a cleanup goal for the refinery property and includes a Flint Hills pledge to continue providing alternative drinking water supplies to hundreds of nearby homes.
The cleanup standard at the moment is 14 parts per billion of sulfolane, a figure that has been challenged by Flint HIlls as being excessive. An independent scientific analysis is due back next month, which could lead to higher levels of sulfolane accepted in the groundwater in North Pole.
Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment, a nonprofit organization, is reviewing the evidence under which the state set a cleanup target of 14 parts per billion. Flint Hills had submitted evidence arguing for a cleanup level of 362 parts per billion.
In April, DEC Commissioner Larry Hartig overturned the DEC decision of 14 ppb, saying the department should reconsider the underlying scientific evidence. He said he was not taking a position on what the final number should be.
Meanwhile, a lawsuit continues among the state, Flint Hills and Williams, the former owner of the refinery, over who should be responsible for cleanup damages.
Flint Hills, a subsidiary of Koch Industries, said the cost of meeting the state cleanup level was one reason it closed the refinery last spring, turning the property into an oil shipment terminal.