Marathon to pay settlement over alleged Clean Air Act infractions

Marathon Petroleum Corp. has settled with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Department of Justice (DOJ) after being cited for alleged infractions of the Clean Air Act at 10 facilities across several states, the EPA said on Tuesday.

“Fuel standards established under the Clean Air Act play a major role in controlling harmful air pollution from vehicles and engines,” Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator for the EPA Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said. “If unchecked, these pollutants can seriously impair the air we breathe, especially during summer months when they can reach higher levels. This settlement incorporates innovative pollution-control solutions to reduce air pollution in overburdened communities.”

The EPA and DOJ said Marathon did not comply with fuel-quality standards laid out in the Clean Air Act and also violated federal recordkeeping, sampling and resting requirements. The federal complaint said Marathon produced 356 million gallons of gasoline that contained high levels of volatile organic compounds, with more than 40 million containing high sulfur levels and more than 12 million containing high levels of ethanol.

Through the settlement terms, Marathon will be required to spend $2.8 million on pollution control and will be penalized $2.9 million, with an additional $200,000 to be spent on retiring sulfur credits.

“All Americans deserve to enjoy the benefits of clean air, land and water,” Assistant Attorney General John Cruden said. “These benefits spring from our nation’s bedrock environmental laws, and we will use them vigorously in the pursuit of environmental justice.”