Marathon earns top EPA ‘partner’ award

Marathon Petroleum Corporation reported this week that the company has earned the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) 2020 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award, the highest honor among ENERGY STAR awards.

MPC is the only fuels manufacturing company to earn the award, which recognizes the company for sustained, top-tier energy efficiency and excellent environmental compliance.

“I salute the 2020 ENERGY STAR award winners,” said Anne Idsal, EPA Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation. “These leaders demonstrate how energy efficiency drives economic competitiveness in tandem with environmental protection.”

MPC President and Chief Executive Officer Michael J. Hennigan credits the company’s long-time commitment to environmental stewardship as a driver of its ENERGY STAR performance.

“We have always recognized the value of energy-efficient operations, and we joined the ENERGY STAR program as soon as refineries were eligible to participate,” he said. “We’re proud that our energy efficiency programs are recognized for their consistent results.”

EPA presents the Sustained Excellence Award to partners like MPC that have already received ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition.

Hennigan pointed out that the company’s energy-efficiency efforts are part of its broader approach to sustainability. MPC recently announced a companywide goal to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per barrel of oil equivalent (BOE) processed to 30 percent below 2014 levels by 2030.

“Marathon Petroleum is committed to continual improvement and being responsive to stakeholder concerns,” Hennigan said.

In addition to its GHG emissions intensity reductions, MPC is also committed to further expanding its renewable fuel manufacturing and blending capabilities. Current projects include the conversion of its Dickinson, North Dakota, refinery into a renewable diesel plant and processing of biocrude generated from municipal waste at its Martinez, California, refinery.

In addition, MPC is actively working with and investing in Virent, Inc., its wholly owned research and development subsidiary in Madison, Wisconsin, toward the commercialization of Virent’s BioForming® technology for producing bio-gasoline and bio-jet fuel from various sugars.

“We’re grateful that the EPA recognizes our energy-efficiency efforts, which make significant contributions to our sustainability goals,” Hennigan said.