Marathon Petroleum Corp. will spend approximately USD $334.6 million to cut pollution at refineries in five states, as well as paying USD $326,500 civil penalty, according to recent statements by the U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The agencies said Ohio-based Marathon will spend $319 million to install state-of-the-art flare gas recovery systems and $15.55 million on projects to reduce air pollution at three facilities. The capture systems divert waste gases that would normally be burned off to power generation systems. The EPA said the agreement will slash emissions of volatile organic compounds, sulfur dioxides and nitrogen oxides by about 1,037 tons per year.
Marathon said the investments began in late 2013 and will effectively be completed by the end of 2018. About USD $238 million of the projected investments will have occurred by the end of 2016.