Celebrating 60 Years in our Community

The Detroit refinery proudly supports Michigan Governor Whitmer’s Pollution Prevention Week by highlighting our commitment to reduce emissions and improve air quality across the state.

We’ve invested $350 million in environmental and safety improvements over the past decade to enable us to produce cleaner fuels and products with less environmental impact than ever before. As illustrated in the “Detroit Refinery Criteria Air Pollutant Emissions” chart, the Detroit refinery has operated at more than 40% below its yearly permitted emission levels for the past 15 years; and it has reduced its emissions by 80% over the past 20 years.

Other examples of improvements at the Detroit refinery include:

• As part of a consent decree, we partnered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to implement several measures to lower emissions. The refinery installed a flare-gas recovery system that minimizes emissions by recovering gases and returning them to process equipment. The EPA considered the solution a model practice and shared Marathon’s advancements with refining companies nationwide, improving air quality at refineries across the country.
• Installed a state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant in 2015 that allows for full treatment of industrial water before further processing at the Great Lakes Water Authority, and reduces industrial waste traveling through the local sewer system.
• Implemented a program that reuses our refinery discharge water onsite, reducing both our discharge and overall water consumption.
• Continue to help improve Michigan’s air quality by producing gasoline and diesel fuel that beats the strictest EPA standards for ultra-low sulfur fuels, resulting in lower vehicle emissions. The Detroit refinery produces approximately 25% of the transportation fuel used in Michigan, so the impact on reduced emissions and improved air quality across the state is considerable.

Marathon Petroleum’s Detroit refinery is one of 24 businesses engaged in heavy industry in this part of Southwest Detroit. And as a business leader in the region, we accept the responsibility to manage our impact on the environment, in every aspect. This commitment has driven our success in dramatically reducing emissions from our both our production processes and the use of our products.

We’re proud to call Southwest Detroit our home. We’ve been part of this community for 60 years, and we’re just getting started.

Marathon Petroleum Statement following the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Public Hearing

The Marathon Petroleum Corp. (MPC) Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) is an important example of turning a difficult situation into a positive for the community.

As part of the consent order between MPC and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) the SEP will provide a new air conditioning, filtration and purification system at the Mark Twain School for Scholars and will benefit the entire area by providing real-time, air-quality data in the surrounding neighborhoods. In resolving these infractions, including ten violation notices dating back to 2017, we hope to do so in a way that has a positive impact on the community.

For the SEP, MPC solicited input from the refinery’s Community Advisory Panel, representatives from the Sierra Club, the neighborhoods adjacent to the refinery, the Detroit City Council and the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The current SEP is the product of that input, and allows MPC to strengthen its relationship with the community and expand its commitment to transparent communication with residents. While this project was undertaken in connection with the settlement of an enforcement action taken by EGLE for violations of air quality requirements, there is no disputing the community benefits and the undeniable wisdom of investing in the community as opposed to simply paying a fine to the State of Michigan. This is not an isolated example but representative of the culture of collaboration that Marathon Petroleum’s leadership seeks with every community in which it operates.

The Detroit refinery is one of 24 businesses engaged in heavy industry in this part of Southwest Detroit. We accept the responsibility to be a leader in managing our impact on the environment in every aspect and, over the years, have dramatically reduced emissions from our production, even as we have increased the amount of crude oil we are able to process. Specifically, we have invested $350 million in environmental and safety improvements to enable us to produce fuels and other products more cleanly than ever before; the Detroit facility has operated at more than 40 percent below the facility’s yearly permitted emission levels for the past 15 years, and has reduced its emissions by 80 percent over the past 20 years.

We are committed to the safety of the people who work in our plant and those who live and work around us. We manufacture fuels in an efficient, safe and responsible manner that provides stable, well-paying jobs for our employees and keeps Michigan moving.

We look forward to the opportunity to participate in the SEP program and our continuing support for the residents of Southwest Detroit. We’ve been part of this community for 60 years, and these projects represent just our latest investment in Southwest Detroit.

Colleagues from the Detroit refinery recently took part in the Motor City Makeover.

The annual citywide cleanup and beautification initiative was an excellent opportunity for MPC volunteers showcase their Detroit pride, while also serving as a demonstration of core values in action.

The team was assigned an alley to clean up, transforming the throughway from one of clutter and congestion to one clear for continued use. They picked up trash, trimmed weeds and overgrowth and other tasks necessary to make the alley safe for all to use.

To help keep girls connected with Girl Scouting during COVID-19, the Detroit refinery is supporting the Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan Girl Engagement Initiative.

Through this program, approximately 600 girls, including 100 girls in shelters in Flint, will receive their own Girl Engagement kit, complete with supplies to earn two badges and a patch.

The Girl Engagement Initiative was started as a way to meet the demand for Girl Scouting where there were challenges in recruiting volunteers to serve as troop leaders, but still offer an experience that meets the needs participants.

The badges focus on safe outdoor activities, with topics such as Outdoor Arts, Flowers, and Using Your Senses. Girls will earn badges as they complete activities such as growing a flower from a seed, identifying outdoor sounds, learning about “Leave No Trace” principles through artwork, and creating dyes out of natural items around their homes and yards.

The goal of the program is to provide the girls with activities that they can complete during this time of sheltering at home, motivate them to earn Girl Scout awards and keep them engaged with Girl Scouting.

Marathon partnered with La Sed: Latin Americans for Social & Economic Development Inc. to provide over 120 brand new coats to kids; and go shopping for our neighbors in SW Detroit, including seven families and 27 boys from an orphanage in Dearborn. Throughout most of December, we called on our employees to help us raise funds and they delivered, producing over $13,000 for reinvestment in the community.