Albuquerque, New Mexico: South Valley Neighbors Push Back on Marathon Fuel Terminal Permit as Public Comment Closes

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico. Public comment closed on Thursday, November 12, on a Marathon Petroleum fuel terminal permit that South Valley residents say would put more pollution into air they already breathe. The Paper. reported on Thursday afternoon that neighbors are organizing against the change and urging the city to hold a public hearing before any decision.

Western Refining Terminals LLC, a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum Corp., wants to amend the air quality permit for its Albuquerque Products Terminal at 3209 Broadway Boulevard SE. The city public notice lists the filing as Permit Application 0456-M6, modifying Permit No. 0456-M5-7TR, received on September 11, 2026.

What the company wants to change

The proposed changes would raise the facility's permitted emissions of volatile organic compounds, known as VOCs, by 15.36 tons per year. The Paper. put that figure at roughly the annual VOC emissions of 1,100 gasoline powered cars, using an estimate from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The plans add two diesel loading arms and let two diesel tanks store gasoline instead, raising throughput. They update fuel specifications for red dye and vapor pressure. Marathon also wants a temporary combustion unit to burn vapors during maintenance, and it plans to stop blending butane at the loading rack before trucks deliver fuel to gas stations.

Marathon told The Paper. the changes give the company regional supply flexibility without expanding storage capacity. The company said permit limits reflect maximum potential releases rather than continuous emissions.

Neighbors ask for a hearing

Residents, neighborhood representatives and advocates met on October 28 with Bernalillo County Commissioner Frank Baca and Albuquerque City Councilor Joaquín Baca to go over the changes and the hearing process. Yasmin Khan, a land use representative for the Barelas Neighborhood Association who invited The Paper. to the meeting, said Marathon disclosed plans to store a volatile fuel blend typically used in colder climates in Albuquerque year round.

"They tell us it's just operational flexibility, but higher limits mean more pollution in our air," Khan said.

"The first step is to really get folks to know that this is happening and to fill in a form to demand a public hearing," Khan said.

A math error in the first filing

The number in front of the city grew during review. Marathon's original application in July listed a 13.77 ton annual increase. The company filed a revised application in October after city staff found a math error in the first one. According to The Paper., Marathon omitted pi from its calculations, which made the storage tanks look smaller than they are.

The city notice says the Air Quality Program's preliminary review, and the applicant's modeling, indicated the facility's emissions will meet air quality standards for carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate matter, both PM10 and PM2.5. The city expects to issue the permit, issue it with conditions, or deny it before January 11, 2027.

What happens after Thursday

With the comment period closed, Environmental Health Department officials decide whether to hold a hearing. A hearing requires the department to find both significant public interest and a significant air quality issue. Until the city rules, the terminal keeps operating under its existing permit, and the South Valley keeps waiting on an answer.