Justice Department imposes record fine for Clean Air Act violation

(The Center Square) - Marathon Oil Company will pay $64.5 million in penalties for violating the Clean Air Act at the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation in North Dakota, the U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday.

The settlement also requires the oil company to invest more than $177 million in compliance measures, according to a DOJ news release. Marathon must also get permits with federal enforceable emissions limits at the reservation and for future North Dakota operations.

“As a result of today’s settlement, Marathon will dramatically cut its emissions, including the release of methane, a climate super-pollutant that is 25 times more potent in the near term than carbon dioxide," said David M. Uhlmann, assistant administrator of EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

The civil penalty is the largest for a stationary source, said U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland.

“The complaint alleges that Clean Air Act violations at nearly 90 Marathon facilities resulted in thousands of tons of illegal emissions," Garland said. "The work that Marathon will do under this agreement will result in the equivalent of over 2.25 million tons of reduced carbon-dioxide emissions over the next five years and also eliminate nearly 110,000 tons of VOC (volatile organic compound) emissions."

The oil company failed to comply with storage tank design and operation and maintenance requirements at 66 of its locations on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, according to the DOJ.

The case is the first of its kind, according to the DOJ.

“The record civil penalty and extensive compliance measures, including an innovative cap on VOC emissions, set a benchmark for the Department’s enforcement efforts at oil and gas production facilities,” said Acting Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer.

Marathon Oil did not immediately return a message from The Center Square seeking comment.