The Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Justice Department have issued the largest-ever fine for polluting practices to an oil and gas company, but local communities have already been put at risk.
What's happening?
Marathon Oil has been handed a $64.5 million punishment under the Clean Air Act, with further orders to invest $177 million to reduce pollution in the future.
The EPA argued that Marathon had violated the Clean Air Act at around 90 of its facilities, leading to the release of thousands of tons of pollution.
The fine accounted for the release of illegal amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide, with North Dakota residents particularly at risk from exposure. Furthermore, Marathon's large quantity of methane pollution is also troubling.
"Today's record Clean Air Act settlement is the most significant to date under EPA's climate enforcement initiative and makes clear that EPA will hold corporate polluters like Marathon accountable for violations that put communities and our futures at risk," said David Uhlmann, assistant administrator of the EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, in a statement.
Why is oil and gas pollution exposure concerning?
VOCs and carbon monoxide have been proven to lead to asthma and respiratory illnesses, as the EPA observed. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency points out that VOC exposure can cause damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes that carbon monoxide can exacerbate heart disease.
According to the EPA, methane is 28 times more potent in terms of planet-warming potential than carbon dioxide. When released, it will persist in the atmosphere, trapping heat and increasing global temperatures. This results in extreme weather conditions — such as droughts, deadly storms, and wildfires — increasing in length and intensity.
What's being done about oil and gas pollution?
The fine for Marathon serves as a warning for oil and gas companies that the Justice Department and EPA will not tolerate excessive polluting practices. While Marathon is only the 22nd-largest oil producer in the United States, the Washington Post observed it was the seventh-largest polluter in the sector.
In addition to the record financial punishment, Marathon will also be required to reduce more than 2.25 million tons of carbon dioxide pollution over the next five years, as well as 110,000 tons of VOC pollution.
But Marathon isn't the only oil and gas firm releasing planet-warming and health-damaging gases and chemicals. It's essential to hold these companies to account, whether that's protesting against environmental damage or avoiding handing over your hard-earned cash to such businesses.
It's also crucial to be wary of greenwashing, which is when businesses claim to be making positive environmental changes or introducing initiatives to be kinder to the planet while still producing harmful levels of pollution or damaging ecosystems.
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