Conserving Natural Resources
Overview
To meet society's current and future energy needs, MPLX must do our part as responsible stewards of the environment we all share. We are committed to minimizing our environmental impact and reducing our footprint through advanced practices and investments to protect biodiversity, reduce freshwater withdrawal, improve air quality and reduce waste.
Biodiversity
We employ multiple proactive measures to protect plant and animal species and preserve their natural habitats. Our Operational Excellence Management System provides the procedural framework to ensure we account for the potential effects of our activities on ecosystems and prepare necessary mitigation procedures. Our approach also involves ongoing collaboration with applicable state and federal regulatory agencies, including the U.S. EPA, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Building Sustainable Landscapes
Our wholly owned subsidy, Marathon Pipe Line LLC (MPL) is harnessing the power of nature-based solutions to operate safely and promote long-term environmental health on our pipeline rights of way.
Read more about our Biodiversity Target
View our Commitment to Biodiversity
Learn how we protect biodiversity throughout the Asset Life Cycle
Spill Preparedness and Response
We consider any spill to be unacceptable and are therefore committed to preventing and mitigating potential spills.
To prevent spills we invest in research and deployment of advanced technology. Our business units follow stringent safety processes and procedures aligned with government regulations and industry best practices and operate with the utmost in preparedness, training and awareness to minimize risk.
All our operating locations have emergency response teams and site-specific emergency preparedness/response plans tailored to the risks they may encounter. These plans are subject to regular drills and exercises to ensure proper implementation in the event of an incident. Our robust drills exceed federal, state and local requirements and are conducted with highly trained employees who work seamlessly with federal, state, local and tribal partners.
Improving Air Quality
Our approach to improving air quality focuses on lowering criteria emissions by identifying and minimalizing fugitive emissions. Throughout MPLX, optical imaging cameras, also known as FLIR cameras, are used to scan equipment for potential leak sources and make any necessary repairs.
MPLX Natural Gas and NGL Services operations utilize acoustic imaging cameras, also known as FLUKE® Imagers, to quickly and accurately locate air, gas and vacuum leaks in compressed air systems — even in noisy environments. These devices use extremely sensitive microphones to detect sounds both in the human hearing range and the ultrasonic range. Initially they were used to identify air leaks at our compressor stations and gas plants. They are now being used to identify process leaks and methane leaks and may be used to confirm repairs are effective.
Reducing Waste
An important aspect of environmental stewardship is to actively manage waste. Our environmental engineers work with designated operations planners to minimize the waste we generate and to recycle or beneficially reuse as much of the waste as possible. We carefully contain and label drums, boxes, bins and roll-off containers of waste, send our waste materials to properly permitted waste disposal and recycling facilities and verify facilities’ compliance with state and federal waste regulations.