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Marathon job fair another step toward start of $1.9 billion project

Date Posted: June 13 2008

Check off another requirement as "done" in advance of construction on the Marathon Petroleum Co.'s $1.9 billion Detroit Heavy Oil Upgrade Project.

To conform with City of Detroit guidelines, all building trades crafts that will have work at the plant took part in a "construction trades opportunity event," a joint effort sponsored by the unions, Marathon, and the Detroit Workforce Development Department.

"Detroit's Executive Order 2007-1 requires a ratio of 50 percent plus one of Detroit residents on construction projects in the city," said Ed Coffey, business agent for the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council. "Marathon and the building trades have made a commitment to try to comply with the rule, so along with the city we put the word out through the media that this job fair was going to take place. It was very well received, we referred a lot of people to the various apprenticeship schools."

An estimated 1,600 job-seekers attended the day-long event, seeking information on getting employment at the plant during construction. They were given information about, and referred to, the 15 apprenticeship programs sponsored by Detroit-area building trades unions.

"The feedback was generally very positive," said Marathon Communications Manager Chris Fox. "Our goal was to bring together the city's workforce development team and the Michigan Building and Construction Trades Council to enable greater understanding of how interested workers might be able to participate in the project. The job fair was successful."

The Detroit Heavy Oil Upgrade Project is close to starting, but final permits to allow construction to proceed are still being processed by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. The project will add new equipment at Marathon's Detroit refinery - Michigan's only petroleum refinery - to process heavier, more viscous Canadian crude oil. This project will increase the refinery's capacity from approximately 102,000 barrels per day to 115,000 bpd, equaling an increase of more than 400,000 gallons per day of transportation fuel.

The project also will require a new section of pipeline in Monroe County and a portion of Wayne County to deliver additional supplies of Canadian crude to the refinery in southwest Detroit. This new section of 24-inch pipeline, approximately 29 miles long, will replace an existing 16-inch section of active pipeline that currently crosses portions of Monroe and Wayne counties.

Coffey said at peak employment, 1,200 Hardhats are expected to be employed on the first shift. The construction process is expected to take two and a half years.

Michigan's only petroleum refinery - the Marathon plant in southwest Detroit - moved closer to undergoing a $1.9 billion renovation last month. Very few construction projects in Michigan's history have approached that price tag.