MPLX LP
MPLX
Energy
2
exclusion reasons
2 themes
This page is part of our public exclusion list — a transparency tool that shows which companies we screen out and why. It is not investment advice, and it is not an accusation. But it is subject to change as our understanding of the facts evolves.
MPLX LP owns and operates a midstream energy infrastructure network spanning approximately 60,000 miles of pipelines, along with storage terminals, processing plants, and marine docks. Its business model is centered on transporting and processing crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas, and natural gas liquids for a fee. This infrastructure is essential for the continued extraction and consumption of fossil fuels.
The company has a documented pattern of regulatory violations concerning this infrastructure. In 2018, MPLX paid a $925,000 penalty and completed supplemental environmental projects to settle federal and state allegations that it failed to control volatile organic compound emissions and comply with permit and record-keeping requirements at its facilities, as detailed in a Clean Air Act settlement. A 2023 filing notes the company’s ownership of gathering, processing, and fractionation assets, underscoring the scale and permanence of its fossil fuel logistics operations. There is no public commitment or plan to transition this core business away from fossil fuels.
MPLX LP has accumulated $20.2 million in environmental penalties across 31 documented enforcement records, according to ViolationTracker. The company has also paid $5.5 million for six air pollution violations. This pattern of regulatory non-compliance culminated in a major federal and state enforcement action in April 2023. The U.S. Department of Justice, alongside the states of North Dakota and Wyoming, filed a complaint against MPLX for alleged Clean Air Act violations at seven natural gas processing plants and three compressor stations.
This 2023 settlement follows an earlier 2018 agreement with the EPA and states, which addressed alleged failures to control emissions from equipment leaks and other sources at its facilities. The repeated enforcement actions across multiple states indicate systemic operational failures in pollution control. The company’s midstream operations, which include extensive pipeline networks and processing infrastructure, carry inherent risks of spills and contamination, with documented penalties reflecting ongoing environmental harm from its core business activities.
Research Sources
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Companies appear on our exclusion list based on our investment judgment — not because they've done anything illegal. This is a difference of values and opinion, not an accusation of wrongdoing. Exclusion does not constitute a recommendation against investing in any company, and absence from the list does not constitute a recommendation to invest.
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