Refinery Operated by Martinez Faces Imposition of $5 Million Penalty due to Infractions in Air Quality Regulations
In a significant move, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) has imposed a fine of $5 million on the Marathon Martinez Refinery in Martinez, California. This penalty is the second largest ever assessed by the BAAQMD, highlighting the refinery's repeated violations of air quality standards over the past six years.
The violations, which span from 2018 to 2024, involve a series of incidents that led to exceedances of air pollutant thresholds established by the BAAQMD and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). These incidents include improper flaring of vapors from storage tanks and loading racks, as well as excess emissions of sulfur dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, and visible particulate matter. Other cited issues include improperly venting gases and smoky flares.
The refinery, operated by Marathon subsidiary Tesoro Refining & Marketing Company LLC, has been cited multiple times for violations related to exceeding permitted emission limits, failing to properly maintain pollution control equipment, and violations involving volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
The fines resolve 59 Notices of Violation issued between 2018 and 2022 against the refinery. Additional violations involve flaring gases related to the shutdown, idling, and decommissioning of refinery process units. All violations have since been corrected.
The enforcement actions taken against the Marathon Martinez Refinery have pushed the company to invest in pollution control technology and improve operational practices to reduce emissions and prevent future violations. As a result of a policy adopted in May 2024, most of the $5 million fine will be reinvested in local projects aimed at reducing pollution and enhancing public health.
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For those seeking more detailed enforcement case files or fine amounts, these are typically available through BAAQMD public records or California EPA environmental enforcement databases.
This news article is categorized under "News" and includes related articles on topics such as the Benicia Refinery spewing cancer-causing chemicals for a decade and fires at the Martinez Refinery.
The financial penalty imposed on the Marathon Martinez Refinery by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) highlights the importance of investing in pollution control technology within the environmental-science and industry sectors, as the refinery's repeated violations of air quality standards over the past six years were mainly due to improper emissions of air pollutants, VOCs, and visible particulate matter. In an attempt to prevent future violations and enhance public health, a significant portion of the $5 million fine will be reinvested in local projects by the company.
