The United States alleges in its complaint that Marathon violated the Clean Air Act and its implementing regulations at nearly 90 oil and natural gas production facilities on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota.
At the facilities, Marathon failed to comply with multiple volatile organic compound emission control requirements under several New Source Performance Standards (NSPS) and the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation?s Federal Implementation Plan applicable to storage vessels located at oil and natural gas production facilities. Additionally, Marathon failed to obtain preconstruction permits under the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program and failed to apply or timely apply for operating permits under the Clean Air Act?s Title V permit program.
Under the proposed consent decree, Marathon agreed to invest $177 million to address its noncompliance for all well pads on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation and will:
Apply and obtain permits that require Marathon to limit VOC emissions to less than 100 tons per year;
Install and operate flow meters and temperature monitors at flares to continuously monitor flare operation; and
Install automation that shut-in production when the facility exceeds emission limits, or the flares are not operating.
At all the 169 facilities subject to the consent decree, Marathon agreed to:
Conduct an engineering evaluation to ensure the facility is designed to route all emissions to a control device and m