MURPHY OIL CORP
MUR
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.
Murphy Oil Corporation is an independent exploration and production company whose core business is the extraction of oil and natural gas. In 2025, the company averaged production of 182 thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day, an increase from the previous year, and reported year-end proved reserves of 715 million barrels of oil equivalent. Its operations are focused on upstream activities in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore Vietnam, where it is actively appraising new discoveries like the Hai Su Vang field.
The company’s business model is centered on the expansion of fossil fuel supply. Its 2025 reserves were up nearly 30% from pre-divestiture levels, excluding oil sands, indicating a focus on reserve replacement and growth. While Murphy publishes sustainability reports and participates in initiatives for greenhouse gas reporting, its operational strategy remains firmly oriented toward increasing fossil fuel production rather than transitioning its asset base.
Murphy Oil Corporation has a documented history of environmental contamination from its operations, most notably a major oil spill from its refinery in Meraux, Louisiana. In 2005, during Hurricane Katrina, storm surge breached a storage tank at the refinery, releasing over one million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding residential neighborhoods. The U.S. Coast Guard oversaw the cleanup, which involved removing oil from canals, containment areas, and storm drains. This incident resulted in twenty-seven consolidated class-action lawsuits. The litigation concluded in 2009 with a settlement requiring Murphy Oil to pay $330 million to approximately 6,200 claimants for property damage and other losses.
The company has also faced repeated enforcement actions for air pollution. In a 2025 ruling, a U.S. District Court found that Murphy Oil violated the Clean Air Act at least 21 times at its Meraux refinery. The court affirmed that the Louisiana nonprofit group, the Louisiana Environmental Action Network, demonstrated these violations, which included excess emissions of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. This followed a prior 2025 multimedia civil judicial settlement with the EPA for Clean Air Act violations at the same facility, which required dramatic cuts to sulfur dioxide emissions. Further, OSHA inspectors cited the company for 35 violations in 2008, at least 10 of which were related to the use of the toxic chemical n-propyl bromide.
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