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GARYVILLE — Marathon Petroleum’s response team is continuing to monitor and maintain control of the impacted area at the Garyville Refinery.

Air monitoring results have and continue to show no off-site impact, according to a company spokesperson. Three organizations have conducted independent air monitoring during the response: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and a third-party contractor, as well as our local Marathon team.

St. John the Baptist Parish and more than 15 other organizations have provided mutual aid during our response.

“Marathon Petroleum’s main priority continues to be the safety of those on-site, our neighbors, first responders, and to limit environmental impact,” a company spokesperson said.

As a precautionary measure, the refinery has operated at reduced rates during the response effort. A plan is being developed to return the refinery to normal operations, with safety as the core focus.

An investigation will be conducted to determine the cause of the incident.

Members of the community impacted by the incident can call Marathon’s community assistance hotline toll-free at (866) 601-5880. Moving forward and beginning today, Marathon’s community assistance hotline will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

As a precautionary measure, school was cancelled Monday at Garyville – Mt. Airy Magnet School. Based on the information and assessments provided, there are no indicators that GMMS has been impacted by any air quality concerns.

In addition to the incident at Marathon, the US National Weather Service New Orleans Louisiana has confirmed that due to the temperature inversion and winds out of the west, there is additional smoke smell, haze, and ash parish-wide from the wildfires in West Louisiana.