Materials Management

Marathon Oil maintains a vetting and monitoring program for disposal sites, which is tailored to the risks associated with the wastes disposed. The program reviews the regulatory status of existing facilities every three years and new facilities upon request for approval. Saltwater disposal sites are reviewed for seismic risk prior to approval, and asset teams perform on-site inspections for 10% of approved disposal sites annually.

Marathon Oil’s waste management procedures for handling hazardous and other regulated waste comply with all federal and state regulations. During the drilling and completion phases, we capture residuals (a mixture of mud, cuttings, sand and fluids) and dispose of them in accordance with applicable regulations in each of our operating areas. Disposal of residual drilling and completion waste is tightly regulated by individual states where we operate.

While regulations differ slightly among states, they generally have requirements for classifying, manifesting, transportation and disposal methods.

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM), a substance that contains radioactive elements, is uncommon, but can be associated with produced water treatment and handling operations in specific areas. In the Bakken, we have implemented a program to prevent potential NORM exposure by using dedicated receptacles and disposing waste to a single injection facility. Our contractors are required to follow our established guidelines for the proper disposal of NORM waste. We do not generate NORM or any other type of hazardous waste elsewhere in our operations.

Please see the Five-Year Performance table for waste data and the Managing Produced Water section for a discussion of produced water disposal.