Marathon Ashland Agrees to Cut Refinery Pollution

May 16, 2001
The U.S. Justice Department and EPA announced an agreement\r\nwith Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC that is expected to reduce air\r\nemissions from seven petroleum refineries by more than 23,000 tons\r\nper year.

The U.S. Justice Department and EPA announced Friday an agreement with Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC that is expected to reduce air emissions from seven petroleum refineries by more than 23,000 tons per year.

The Bush administration, criticized in recently by environmentalists for abandoning several environmental rules, said the settlement is part of EPA''s national effort to reduce harmful air pollution released from refineries.

Under the agreement, Marathon Ashland will spend an estimated $265 million to install up-to-date pollution control equipment and significantly reduce emissions from stacks, wastewater vents, leaking valves and flares through its refineries in Robinson, Ill.; Garyville, La.; Texas City, Texas; Catlettsburg, Ky.; Detroit; Canton, Ohio; and St. Paul Park, Minn.

These refineries comprise more than five percent of the total refining capacity in the United States.

"This settlement will control pollution wherever it originates in the refineries," said EPA Administrator Christie Whitman. "The settlement also is expected to facilitate efficiency upgrades and increased production of gasoline over the next eight years. We are pleased with Marathon Ashland''s commitment to work with us to help clean the air and protect human health."

The agreement resolves past violations of the Clean Air Act New Source Review requirements, which result when facilities fail to apply for permits and install up-to-date pollution controls when they undertake certain types of modifications.

Marathon Ashland also will pay a $3.8 million civil penalty under the Clean Air Act and spend about $6.5 million on two environmental projects in communities affected by the refineries'' pollution.

The states of Minnesota and Louisiana will each receive $50,000 of the penalty under the agreement, which also resolved alleged violations of federal hazardous waste laws at the company''s refineries in Michigan and Illinois.

According to EPA, the new control technologies and programs that will be implemented at Marathon Ashland''s refineries will reduce pollutants that can cause serious respiratory problems and exacerbate cases of childhood asthma: nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, particulate emissions, carbon monoxide, benzene and volatile organic compounds.

The agreements also should lead to a substantial reduction in the number and severity of flaring incidents and should ensure the refineries'' compliance with national emissions standards for benzene waste and with leak detection and repair equipment, EPA said.

In March, the government reached similar agreements to cut air pollution at nine other refineries across the country.

Those settlements involved Motiva Enterprises, Equilion Enterprises and Deer Park Refining Limited Partnership.

Together, these settlements will help to reduce air emissions by nearly 150,000 tons per year.

by Virginia Sutcliffe

About the Author

EHS Today Staff

EHS Today's editorial staff includes:

Dave Blanchard, Editor-in-Chief: During his career Dave has led the editorial management of many of Endeavor Business Media's best-known brands, including IndustryWeekEHS Today, Material Handling & LogisticsLogistics Today, Supply Chain Technology News, and Business Finance. In addition, he serves as senior content director of the annual Safety Leadership Conference. With over 30 years of B2B media experience, Dave literally wrote the book on supply chain management, Supply Chain Management Best Practices (John Wiley & Sons, 2021), which has been translated into several languages and is currently in its third edition. He is a frequent speaker and moderator at major trade shows and conferences, and has won numerous awards for writing and editing. He is a voting member of the jury of the Logistics Hall of Fame, and is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.

Adrienne Selko, Senior Editor: In addition to her roles with EHS Today and the Safety Leadership Conference, Adrienne is also a senior editor at IndustryWeek and has written about many topics, with her current focus on workforce development strategies. She is also a senior editor at Material Handling & Logistics. Previously she was in corporate communications at a medical manufacturing company as well as a large regional bank. She is the author of Do I Have to Wear Garlic Around My Neck?, which made the Cleveland Plain Dealer's best sellers list.

Nicole Stempak, Managing Editor:  Nicole Stempak is managing editor of EHS Today and conference content manager of the Safety Leadership Conference.

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