The deicing chemical ordered by Bismarck Airport is “more expensive than gas”

Bismarck, North Dakota – If you’ve taken a flight recently, you might have had to wait a little while longer for the plane to be “de-iced,” but in North Dakota, this might not always be the case following an expensive investment.

The deicing chemical used on the runways this winter will be purchased by Bismarck Airport employees through a bid that was recently approved by the City Commission. The chemical is supplied by a Missoula, Montana-based company and costs little more than $5 per gallon.

The treatment in question uses potassium formate, a chemical that won’t harm or deteriorate jets, therefore the airport is forced to pay this opulent price.

“It’s very expensive,” Bismarck airport director Greg Haug said. “You use it sparingly, but there are times when you absolutely have to. You need it in your tool kit. We also have pellets as well — deicing pellets we can throw out to cut through freezing rain. We need to cut through that so we can broom it off.”

The airport can currently store 16,000 gallons of deicer, but Haug says they are planning to increase that amount to 20,000 gallons due to a new structure that is currently being built.