Marathon Oil expansion

**DetroitZack** · September-17-10, 05:42 AM

Marathon Oil plans to expand its oil refinery in southwest Detroit. The $2.2-billion expansion should be complete by the end of 2012. The company has started its hiring of 135 employees for the refinery. Right now 650 contractors are working on the project but it is to rise to 1,800 to 2,000 by next summer.

http://www.freep.com/article/2010091...peed-expansion

**DetroitPlanner** · September-17-10, 07:26 AM

This is not exactly news Freep! They have worked on this for years! In fact, they are working on this site right now, it is definitely beyond planning stages.

**Jimaz** · September-17-10, 04:26 PM

Other information at detnews.com

Marathon will begin shutting all process units for planned work at the refinery Oct. 13, according to a filing with state regulators. The shutdown is expected to last through Nov. 17, Marathon said in a letter sent to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environments Air Quality Division.

Here comes another price hike!

They also claim they're having trouble finding enough skilled workers in Detroit.

**Hypestyles** · September-17-10, 04:42 PM

If the company is compelled to train city residents for the jobs that will be available, then that's good..

On another level, I have to wonder about what this expansion of operations will mean as far as pollution, particular to the southwest outskirts of the city and vicinity.. The Freep this week had an article about the Delray area and how people there are frustrated wtih the air pollution in the district. I don't know, if the intensity of the pollution isn't curbed, Delray may be a prime area for the city to offer people tax/cash incentives to move elsewhere.

**ordinary** · September-17-10, 07:36 PM

I have to believe that this whole expansion is related to oil from the Canadian tar sands. What a darn shame. I just finished reading Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil by Peter Maass. He states in more than once that aside from the construction work, oil refineries and operations use very few employees. Once the construction is done, there are not going to be that many jobs there.

**terryh** · September-17-10, 08:39 PM

Great news as my brother in law is gainfully employed by Marathon which pays labor-supervisor union wages well into the twenty something per hr range.

<pollution and stench is of course, the negative flipside.

**maxx** · September-18-10, 10:16 AM

http://www.greatlakeslaw.org/blog/20...the-great.html
"On October 16, in a move that could significantly improve air quality for the Great Lakes region, the U.S. EPA sent a clear message to the oil industry that the federal agency is serious about air pollution from refining – especially the processing of dirty Canadian tar sands crude. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson on that day issued an order objecting to a permit granted by Indiana to BP’s Whiting Refinery, located on the shores of Lake Michigan. At the heart of Administrator Jackson’s order is a concern that numerous potential sources of air pollution are going uncounted and uncontrolled. And that the industry is ignoring or downplaying the air pollution impacts of processing the much heavier, dirtier Canadian tar sands crude, a crude that contains high levels of sulfur and toxic metals. ..."

**MikeM** · September-18-10, 10:22 AM

Originally Posted by DetroitPlanner

They have worked on this for years! In fact, they are working on this site right now, it is definitely beyond planning stages. They have worked on this for years! In fact, they are working on this site right now, it is definitely beyond planning stages.

The refinery capacity was increased back in 2005. This is a new project that had been delayed for nearly a year.

Originally Posted by ordinary

I have to believe that this whole expansion is related to oil from the Canadian tar sands. What a darn shame. I just finished reading Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil by Peter Maass. He states in more than once that aside from the construction work, oil refineries and operations use very few employees. Once the construction is done, there are not going to be that many jobs there.

It is related to the Canadian tar sands - the nature of that oil requires different refinery equipment than that used for light crude. I don't know what expectations there are but Marathon claims it will create about a hundred new jobs.

**kathy2trips** · September-18-10, 01:56 PM

Real jobs! Thank you, private sector!

**ordinary** · September-21-10, 07:01 AM

I wonder how much natural gas is expended in freeing the oil from the tar sands. It seems like such a waste.

**313WX** · September-21-10, 07:48 AM

Originally Posted by Jimaz

They also claim they're having trouble finding enough skilled workers in Detroit.

So they're playing that same sorry note Manpower & the company in Champaign, IL [[experienced CNC Machinist for $13/hr) is playing.

Instead of taking the time to TRAIN the millions of unemployed people in Metro Detroit and pay them peanuts or pay top dollar for perfection, they want perfection for peanuts!!!

**MikeM** · September-21-10, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by 313WX

So they're playing that same sorry note Manpower & the company in Champaign, IL [[experienced CNC Machinist for $13/hr) is playing.

Instead of taking the time to TRAIN the millions of unemployed people in Metro Detroit and pay them peanuts or pay top dollar for perfection, they want perfection for peanuts!!!

http://www.detroithoup.com/news/devagreement5.pdf

http://www.detroithoup.com/pdf/PTECscholarship.pdf

http://www.detroithoup.com/news/Fina...2DetroitCC.pdf