Marathon Detroit Refinery Gains Permit to Increase Crude Processing
(Reuters) — Michigan's environmental agency on Tuesday issued a new air permit to Marathon Petroleum covering emissions from its Detroit refinery, which will allow the refiner to boost crude throughput at the plant.
In March, Marathon filed an application with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to run its refinery continuously by removing monthly and annual throughput limits.
The refinery's permit had capped its capacity at 140,000 barrels per day on an annual average, but the new permit removes limits on how much crude it can put through the plant.
The facility, which produces gasoline, fuel oils, asphalt, propane, and propylene, had relied on periods of shutdown or reduced production to meet the annual average limit.
A Marathon spokesperson said the new air permit conditions include a reduction in emissions limits, voluntary emissions reduction projects and a six-year enhanced air monitoring program. "We did not propose any changes to our existing footprint," the spokesperson said.
However, local environmental groups worry the facility could add more pollutants to the air by processing more crude oil.
The approval highlights the need for local lawmakers and regulators to implement rules that account for the overall health effects on fence-line communities, rather than evaluating pollution on a pollutant-by-pollutant basis, said Bryan Smigielski, Michigan campaign organizer for the Sierra Club.
"The absence of cumulative impact regulations means this permit was approved without thorough review of the combined impact on already vulnerable neighborhoods," Smigielski said.
The Marathon refinery is located in Southwest Detroit, an area with one of the highest levels of air pollution in the state due to significant industry presence.
Related News
- EIA: U.S. Natural Gas Output Expected to Decline as Demand Reaches Record High in 2024
- Woodside Completes $1.2 Billion Acquisition of Tellurian, Renaming Driftwood LNG to Woodside Louisiana LNG
- Colonial Pipeline Allocates Cycle 59 Shipments on Distillate Line 2, Ensuring Product Flow from Atlanta to Nashville
Related News
- Texas Waha Hub Gas Prices Plunge to Record Lows, Hit Negative Territory
- U.S. Appeals Court Strikes Down Controversial Biden Pipeline Safety Rules
- Williams Seeks Emergency Certificate to Operate $1 Billion Mid-Atlantic Gas Pipeline After Court Reversal
- Texas Oil Pipelines Near Max Capacity, Threatening Future Export Limits
- Energy Transfer Subsidiary Selects KTJV for Lake Charles LNG Export Project
- Saudi Arabia Looking to Expand Pipeline to Reduce Oil Exports via Gulf
- Report: Houston Region Poised to Become a Global Clean Hydrogen Hub
- Texas Startup Endeavors Again to Build First Major U.S. Oil Refinery Since 1977
- Puerto Bahia, Gasco to Build Liquefied Petroleum Gas Facility in Cartagena, Colombia
- U.S. Court Overturns FERC Approval for NextDecade’s $18 Billion Rio Grande LNG Project
Comments