Whoever decided to delay made a bad choice which is going to cost them more than they were betting they would save.
I think that has been made obvious to all involved.
But I do understand, when you buy your fuel a year at at time, price at buying time becomes rather important. And they had a couple items beyond their control work against them at the same time.
Even this slow ice breaker is cheaper than flying it in. And Nome is in better shape than some other Western Alaska villages who have nearly run out of fuel. Before winter is over, there will be others I suspect given the early ice, storm and last deliveries not made.
Noatak and Kobuk have just about run out of fuel oil
http://www.adn.com/2012/01/09/2254899/noatak-and-kobuk-have-just-about.html
The Inupiat village of Noatak, where temperatures dipped to 45 below or colder each of the past three days, ran out of heating oil Saturday at the village store, residents say. Elder Bernice Monroe said her 78-year-old husband drove a snowmachine to nearby Red Dog Mine to buy a drum of fuel, while the store borrowed drums from the utility pump house and began rationing sales to 10 gallons per family.
People called each other on the VHF radio asking if anyone has fuel to sell or share, said Noatak resident Hilda Booth. “My husband and I are using our fish rack woods to heat up our home because it’s so cold to go out and get wood.”