Petroleum company to pay $2.9M fine

Marathon Petroleum Corp. has agreed to pay a $2.9 million fine and invest in new pollution control systems at its distribution facilities to settle a dispute with the federal government over emissions violations, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced Tuesday. 

The EPA and the Department of Justice had accused Ohio-based Marathon of failing to comply with Clean Air Act fuel emissions standards, violations the EPA said Tuesday “may have resulted in excess emissions of air pollutants from motor vehicles, which can pose threats to public health and the environment.”

{mosads}The violations included producing more than 400 million gallons of fuel that didn’t comply with Clean Air Act standards on volatile organic compounds or sulfur and ethanol levels, EPA and the Justice Department said in a statement.

In its settlement with the agencies, Marathon agreed to pay a $2.9 million fine and forfeit sulfur credits worth up to $200,000. The company will also spend more than $2.8 million to reduce emissions at its distribution facilities in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio. 

“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 EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said in a statement. “This settlement incorporates innovative pollution control solutions to reduce air pollution in overburdened communities.”