Safety & Environmental Commitment

As a Responsible Care© company Marathon is committed to conducting all aspects of this project in a safe and environmentally responsible manner.

Refinery

When did Marathon receive its air quality permit to begin construction?
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) approved the air quality permit for the Detroit Heavy Oil Upgrade Project in Detroit on June 20, 2008. The department's decision followed a period of extensive review by the DEQ which verified that Marathon's permit application met the strict standards contained within federal and state air quality regulations. Click here to be transferred to MDEQ's Web site to read Marathon's permit.

How is Marathon going above and beyond what is required by the MDEQ?
In addition to compliance with the stringent environmental requirements set out by the MDEQ permitting process, Marathon has committed to going beyond compliance with additional environmental enhancements that include:

  • Retrofitting 150 Detroit Public Schools’ buses with diesel emissions controls;
  • Adding eight additional continuous air emission monitors on process unit stacks to further monitor compliance with permit requirements;
  • Installing at least four ambient air monitoring stations on the refinery perimeter to monitor air quality at a cost of more than $2 million;
  • Capturing emissions from trucks hauling petroleum coke at the refinery;
  • Enhancing street sweeping of paved roads near the refinery;
  • Collaborating on the city/county emergency notification system; and
  • Sharing emissions data with the refinery’s Community Advisory Panel and community-based organizations near the refinery.

How many emissions will the refinery expansion generate?
The Detroit refinery currently operates well below the EPA regulations at approximately 40 percent of the allowable limits for criteria pollutants (carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter). The refinery will remain within the allowable limits once the expansion is complete. In fact, the refinery will have fewer actual emissions in 2011 than it did in 2004, despite the increase in refining capacity.

Overall, the Detroit refinery will minimize the emissions with the installation of state-of-the-art pollution controls on new and modified equipment associated with the project. More than $2 million in ambient air monitoring technology will be installed along the refinery’s fence line to measure and verify the facility’s compliance with established health standards for criteria pollutants.

How much is Marathon investing in pollution control technologies at the Detroit refinery?
The Detroit refinery has reduced its annual emissions by 75 percent since 1999, and invested more than $43 million in pollution-control technology.

The refinery will incorporate the same "beyond compliance" principles by making a $50 million upgrade to its wastewater treatment facilities, investing more than $270 million in pollution-control technology and approximately $275 million in Clean Fuels technology.

Pipeline

Click here to view our environmental commitment at work.

How safe are pipelines?
Pipelines are the safest form of petroleum transportation, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation statistics. There are more than 200,000 miles of petroleum pipelines in the U.S. that supply the energy demands of our country. Every aspect of this project will be held to the highest safety and environmental standards.

control room
     Pipeline Operations Center

How are pipelines monitored and maintained?
Marathon does regular routine inspections of the pipeline as well as periodic maintenance. Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL) monitors the operation of its pipeline systems 24/7 from a state-of-the-art control facility in Findlay, Ohio. The system includes the most sophisticated computer controls to detect pipeline operating conditions.

From the operations center, analysts use computer controls to operate valves and pumping units along the pipeline network. The pipeline would be shutdown immediately upon determination of a potential release.

The U.S. Department of Transportation requires the pipeline route to be visually inspected 26 times annually. This is usually accomplished by flying the pipeline route and is not intrusive to the property landowner. These aerial inspections help to ensure that unsafe activities are not occurring along the right of way. We also maintain clear rights of way to avoid tree root damage to our pipelines.

Below ground, the pipelines are tested and maintained with cleaning and inspection devices, known as pigs and smart pigs. Hydrostatic testing is also used as part of the comprehensive integrity management program. This involves filling the pipeline with water and pressurizing it above the normal pipeline operating pressure to test for defects.

What happens in the event of a spill?
A pipeline failure is extremely rare, with a majority of the causes a result of third-party damage on the pipeline right of way. Most crude oil releases are contained and successfully cleaned up without incident.

If a leak or related incident were to occur, the pipeline would be shut down quickly and we would activate our emergency response plan to address the problem, which includes notifying and working closely with state and local agencies and authorities to protect the public.

Will the pipeline ever be used for anything other than crude oil?
We plan to transport crude oil through the new pipeline. There are no plans to change the service of the line.