Safety & Environmental Commitment

Marathon is committed to conducting all aspects of this project in a safe and environmentally responsible manner. This commitment encompasses construction, design, operation and maintenance of the pipeline and refinery projects. 

Refinery Responsibility
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) approved Marathon's air permit for the Detroit HOUP on June 20, 2008. The department's decision followed a period of extensive review that determined Marathon's proposal does meet the strict standards contained within federal and state air quality regulations. Click here to be transferred to MDEQ's website to read Marathon's permit.

Marathon will invest more than $270 million in pollution-control technology and approximately $275 million in clean fuels technology as part of the expansion project. The company will also spend an additional $50 million to upgrade the refinery's wastewater treatment facilities.

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.

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 continue to operate within the allowable limits once the expansion is complete. In fact, the refinery will have fewer actual emissions in 2011 once the expansion is completed than it did in 2004, even though the facility's refining capacity will be increased.

The Detroit refinery has reduced its annual emissions by 75 percent since 1999, and invested more than $43 million in pollution-control technology.

To keep the community informed, Detroit refinery representatives meet monthly with its Citizens Advisory Panel composed of representatives from the surrounding neighborhoods and communities.

In 2000, Marathon was the first company in the U.S. to adopt the chemical and petroleum industry’s Responsible Care® principles across all organizations. These principles focus on the continuous improvement of environmental, health, safety and security performance areas. The Detroit refinery also is the first refinery in the world to receive Responsible Care’s 14001 certification recognizing the company’s commitment to the quality of its health, environmental and safety systems.

Award Winning Results
Marathon’s Detroit refinery received Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s prestigious Voluntary Protection Program “Star” designation in 2010 and the Energy Star Award for 2007 and 2008 from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for reducing energy usage at the facility and protecting the environment through energy efficiency.

Marathon earned the 2006 North American Refining & Energy Company of the Year award from Hart Energy Publishing for its excellence and dedication to:

• Cleaner Environment – producing cleaner, high-quality fuels
• Investment & Growth – developing the highest operational and safety standards
• Vision – focusing on innovation and development on a global scale
  
  

Emergency Preparedness
Marathon has worked with the city of Detroit and Wayne County Homeland Security offices and the Local Emergency Planning Committee to develop a brochure for the community near its refinery. This guide is designed to help residents prepare for an emergency, understand how to receive information during an emergency and how to respond during an emergency.

Click here to view the guide (not suitable for printing)

Click here to download and print the guide (large file)