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San Juan County recognizes Marathon Petroleum for $3 million site cleanup along U.S. 64 and County Road 350
Summary
County commissioners and Marathon Petroleum representatives marked completion of demolition and remediation at a long-vacant Marathon Petroleum facility near U.S. 64 and County Road 350, a roughly $3 million project completed this winter that county staff say clears four decades of idle industrial infrastructure.
San Juan County commissioners on an interim-workshop day paused business to recognize Marathon Petroleum for demolition and remediation of a formerly idle petroleum facility near U.S. 64 and County Road 350.
The county’s staff member Steven Saavedra introduced the project and said county leaders coordinated with Marathon after Commissioner Gary McDaniel requested a meeting with the firm. “This is a clear effort that took place almost 2 years ago,” Saavedra said during the remarks.
Robert Harris, identified in the meeting as Marathon’s environmental representative at the company’s Galveston/Garyville refinery, told commissioners the contractor Northstar performed demolition work, contractors sampled for asbestos, and metal from tanks was sent to a scrap recycler. “We did recover a good bit of oils from the different pipelines,” Harris said. He said contractors containerized and shipped wastes to appropriate landfills and that there were no safety incidents or ground spills during the work.
Marathon representatives said the site was acquired by the company and never operated by them; they described remaining minor remediation work, including some soil and groundwater impacts, and said they were working with the state on that work. Leland Gould, Maritime Petroleum contract government-affairs staff, and Brad Schafer of Marathon accompanied Harris and answered commissioners’ questions.
Commissioners thanked Marathon for the cleanup and for beautifying a corridor the county described as highly traveled. County staff asked for a group photo and presented a certificate of appreciation at the meeting.
The county did not make a formal regulatory decision tied to the presentation; the session served as recognition and a public update. Commissioners and Marathon staff noted the cleanup did not yet equate to an announced reuse plan: Marathon said it had no immediate operational plans and that the property could be put up for sale.
County staff said the cleanup work finished this winter after work that began the previous September; photos shown at the meeting included aerial images from 2023 and January of the meeting year and roadside views from the prior week.
The presentation did not include a timetable for final state sign-off on remaining remediation items, nor did Marathon announce a buyer or redevelopment plan for the parcel.
