The Nantucket Memorial Airport Commission discussed options this week to ease intermittent jet fuel shortages, including a potential on-island fuel farm, leased tanker trucks and better coordination of vessel reservations used to ship fuel.

Commissioners asked staff for additional cost and logistics information before pursuing any one path. Airport staff said consultant Rich Lassen of McFarland Johnson is continuing to seek additional firm quotes; staff reported a preliminary figure from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation for a 10,000‑gallon fuel farm of about $1.7 million, though staff cautioned that mobilization and local factors could change that estimate.

Why it matters: Limited uplift capacity has led the airport to restrict some refueling at peak times, an outcome commissioners said should be formally communicated to upper management at the Steamship Authority. Commissioners emphasized the need for data on costs, timing and operational impacts before committing to new infrastructure or long‑term contracts.

What commissioners and staff discussed: Commissioners and airport staff reviewed short‑term measures that could reduce the risk of fuel shortfalls next peak season. Options discussed included:
- Asking World Fuel (the airport’s current supplier) to request more vessel “reservations” from the Steamship Authority on the airport’s behalf and clarifying whether reservations are recorded to World Fuel or to the airport. Staff reported World Fuel has been submitting reservation requests for peak weeks (staff said an 18/week request for July–August had been made) but that awards had not yet been announced.
- Leasing additional refueler trucks (staff said World Fuel indicated it could lease additional trucks and that larger Avgas trucks could be used if an Avgas tank were converted to Jet‑A). Commissioners asked staff to develop an operations estimate: how many additional trucks would likely be needed, where they would be staged, and how staffing and maintenance would be handled.
- Converting an underground Avgas tank to Jet‑A as a longer‑term mitigation; staff said one vendor had been contacted but quotes were not yet available.

Staff follow‑up requested: Commissioners asked staff to return with (1) additional firm cost estimates for a fuel farm, (2) clarification of who holds Steamship Authority reservations (World Fuel vs. the airport), (3) an operational plan and estimate for leasing refueler trucks (including parking/spacing, NFPA and local fire‑marshal requirements), and (4) a ballpark cost and timing to convert an Avgas tank to Jet‑A. Several commissioners offered to assist in outreach to the Steamship Authority or to the supplier community if staff could not secure timely meetings.

No formal action was taken. The commission agreed to revisit the item at the next meeting when staff returns with the requested information and written cost quotes.