EPA, DOJ announce $241.5M settlement with Marathon Oil

The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice announced a settlement with Marathon Oil Company resolving Clean Air Act violations at the company’s oil and gas production operations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota. The settlement requires that Marathon pay a civil penalty of $64.5M, which the EPA calls “the largest ever for violations of the Clean Air Act at stationary sources,” which include facilities such as oil and gas tank systems. Under the settlement agreement, Marathon will implement extensive compliance measures to achieve major reductions in harmful emissions from over 200 facilities across the state. “The agreement requires Marathon to invest in extensive compliance measures estimated to cost $177M, much of which will be implemented by the end of 2024. The settlement requires Marathon to obtain permits with federally enforceable emissions limits at production facilities on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and future operations in the state of North Dakota. Compliance measures also include flare monitoring, periodic infrared camera inspections and implementation of storage tank design requirements,” the EPA noted.