Alaska Refinery Hazmat Spill Claims Revived on Appeal

The former owner of an oil refinery in North Pole, Alaska, is on the hook for environmental damage caused by the migration of a solvent from the facility into drinking water, the Alaska Supreme Court ruled Aug. 26 (Flint Hills res. Alaska v. Williams Alaska Petroleum, Inc., 2016 BL 278880, Alaska, S-15654, 8/26/16).

The statute of limitations for indemnification claims against Williams Alaska Petroleum Inc. commenced when it refused to indemnify current owner Flint Hills Resources Alaska in 2010, not when Flint knew or should have known of the sulfolane leakages years earlier, the court said. Sulfolane ...