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Detroit Refinery

An entrepreneur named Max Fisher was the original owner of the oil refinery in Detroit, Michigan, and the plant was run under the leadership of Fisher's company, the Aurora Gasoline Company. Marathon Oil Company bought the facility in 1959, and immediately began work to expand and improve the site. The refinery, which is the only one in all of Michigan, is able to produce up to 100,000 barrels of crude oil per day.

Marathon is proud of their efforts to make the plant more environmentally friendly. As of 2005, they completed a project that they worked on with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to expand the plant and allow them to produce 35% more processed petroleum products, all with lower levels of sulfuric emissions. The Detroit plant was also the first to receive certification from Responsible Care, an independent group that monitors the environmental and safety performance of companies within the chemical industry.

As of 2008, Marathon is in the process of working on another large expansion program. The final goal is to increase daily production by 13,000 barrels of crude oil on a daily basis. Part of the expansion project involves the building of a new section of pipeline that will be used specifically to transport Canadian crude oil. Construction for the pipeline is expected to begin in 2009, and Marathon anticipates completing the entire project by 2010.

There are critics of this expansion plan who feel that the production level of oil does not need to be increased, and that the safety risks would not be worth it. To help prove their point, they refer to a fire that occurred in May of 2007, which was the second fire in a two year period of time. The blaze began when a fuel line exploded within a furnace - the very same furnace that had been the site of the previous fire. Flames shot up high into the air causing smoke to billow upwards. Fire fighters arrived soon after the initial explosion, but had to wait until conditions were safe to begin to attack the blaze. It only took them 15 minutes to put out the flames, but it was another hour before the furnace had cooled down sufficiently for the crews to be able to shut off the fuel valve inside. Although no one was hurt during the fire, it quickly became a source of concern for environmental groups who hope it will help stop the proposed expansion of the Detroit refinery.

The fires were not the only issued that brought about a great deal of concern for the health and safety of local residents. Years ago the plant utilized industrial products that were made out of asbestos, a naturally occurring material that was popular for its ability to withstand high temperatures. While these products were highly effective, over time they would break apart and release tiny fibers of asbestos into the environment. These fibers are too small to be seen by the human eye, and can be ingested easily. Once they come to rest inside a respiratory system, the fibers can do large amounts of damage, and develop into asbestos cancer, which can be life threatening. Employees of the plant, and anyone who lived nearby, should get checked out by their doctors for possible exposure to this highly toxic material.

Last modified: December 09 2009.